A Mindfulness Intervention to Promote Leadership Effectiveness and Well-Being Among Nurse Managers

Abstract

Acute care hospitals are complex, unpredictable and challenging work environments. The position of nurse manager, with 24/7 responsibility, is often viewed as one of the most demanding positions in the hospital setting. Schwarzkopf, et al. (2007) observed the behaviors of nurse leaders and pointed out, “If you observe and listen to these professionals, you’ll hear talk about taking care of patients and their families, staff members, physicians, hospital co-workers, and their own families. In most cases, by the time they get a chance to think about themselves, they are too exhausted to care about anything” (p. 35). Nursing department managers within an organization can become depleted emotionally and cognitively when faced with these competing demands for their time and attention. The demands of the nurse manager duties place the incumbent at high risk for burnout, stress, and mal-adaptive coping which may impact personal health and well-being as well as professional relationships and job productivity. The nurse manager position includes multifaceted responsibilities and responding to diverse constituencies. Acknowledging the demands and providing knowledge and skill to support these individuals is key to having strong and productive leaders. With the long-term goal of supporting the nurse managers and promoting the organizations’ focus on person-centered care, a series of Mindfulness workshops were developed and offered to the nurse managers in an acute care hospital system. The practice of mindfulness encourages a person to “check in” with their own humanity and to better understand their personal strengths, weaknesses, and best contributions (Pipe, Fitzpatrick, Doucette, Cotton & Arnow, 2016).