Practicum Project Goals, Objectives, and Justification
Description of the proposed Practicum Project
My proposed practicum project will endeavor to determine how the various management styles affect the retention and satisfaction levels of nurses. The project will analyze the different management styles and link these styles to the nurse turnover rates. The turnover rates are an indication of the satisfaction levels in the health care organization.
Rationale for the selected focus
One of the most important element of success in health care organizations is the management of the organization. The management is not only in charge of the operations but is also responsible to the management of the organizational staff. Management styles play a critical role in any organization as they determine how the mangers and the nurses will interact with each other. The level of interaction and perceived involvement of the nurses in their place of work greatly contributes to the nurse’s satisfaction and the turnover rates in an organization (Foster, 2002). The most recognized management styles include a consultative management style, authoritative and an exploitative style. Each of this leadership style has its unique traits that affect how the nurse issues will be handled in the organization. Nurse Managers and employers need to understand the aspects of leadership and the leadership traits that are important in managing the nurses and ensure high quality care in the organization (Mba & Teresa, 2013). Generally, providing health care services to patients requires a degree of flexibility and adaptability to the prevailing circumstances in an organization. Studies indicate that a consultative management style is associated with lower turnover and higher satisfaction while an authoritative style often has higher nurse turnover rates and is often associated with lower satisfaction (Magda, AhmedAbdou, & Naglaa, 2011).
The overarching project goal
The overarching goal of the project is to understand how the various management style affects the nurse’s retention and satisfaction in the organization. The project will aim at understanding how the characteristics of each leadership style affect the actual and the perceived nurse satisfaction with their place of work, which also affects the retention rates in the organization.
Measurable objectives
To arrive at the overarching goal of the project, the following key objectives will be of great importance. The objectives act as a guide for the project. The objectives of the project are to identify the characteristics of each leadership style as it pertains to the nursing management. The second objective will be to evaluate and examine the work place issues that are crucial in informing the satisfaction and dissatisfaction levels in an organization. The third objective guiding the project will be to identify the link between the management styles and the level of nurse satisfaction. This objective will also aim at understanding how the leadership traits affect the retention rates of nurses.
Questions or concerns that your colleagues may be able to help
I would like colleagues to share with me their experiences with the different management styles, mainly the level of perceived and actual satisfaction with their place of work under a manger who is collaborative and another one who is very authoritative. These experiences will be important in broadening my projects’ perspective of management styles in a health care setting.