Effective Nursing Change Agents

As a change agent in nursing leadership, the role involves facilitating and managing change effectively. In my experience, I have been responsible for training and enforcing policy changes within our clinic, a task that is often met with resistance from the team. One notable scenario involved significant changes in our facility’s leadership, leading to a revamp of the annual clinical competencies evaluation program. Despite the improvements these changes brought, the staff found it challenging to adjust.

I was tasked with organizing the new competency assessment plan, which included scheduling observations, providing necessary education, and reporting results to leadership. To motivate my team, I emphasized the benefits of the changes, saying, “How fortunate are we to work for a facility that not only keeps us accountable but also aids in our continued education to help us be as informed as possible. We are able to provide better care to our patients because we are better educated.”

Another nurse leader at my facility also excels as a change agent. Her skillful communication turns potentially negative changes into positive messages, encouraging the team to embrace new initiatives. By making staff feel involved, she ensures smoother transitions and greater engagement, facilitating a more effective change process.

Nursing Leadership

To be a change agent means to simply facilitate change.  The change agent is responsible for translating changes into plans and executing them while also motivating and encouraging others to achieve the desire results (Nurse Leader, 2017).  As a leader, I have been a change agent on many occasions.  I am the responsible person for training and enforcing policy changes in the clinic.  Change does not always (if ever) go over smoothly with my team.  One scenario in specific stands out to me.  Recent changes in leadership at our facility have created some chaos at the clinic.  Annual clinical competencies have always been completed and reported in the same manner.  When the new leadership came, the entire evaluation and competency program was revamped.  Although this was for the better, the staff had a difficult time adjusting.  After being given my guidelines, I was responsible for creating a plan to get all of the skills organized.  This included making a schedule to have everyone observed and signed off, educating staff where needed, and reporting the results to my leadership.  I motivated the team with words of encouragement.  “How fortunate are we to work for a facility that not only keeps us accountable, but also aids in our continued education to help us be as informed as possible.  We are able to provide better care to our patients because we are better educated.”

Another nurse at my facility (also a member of leadership) is often times a change agent as well.  She has a way of wording things to sound pleasant when they may not be.  In this way, she encourages and motivates our team to take active roles in changes around the clinic that they may otherwise shy away from.  The staff are more engaged with changes when they feel involved.  This makes a smoother transition for everyone.