Leadership Scholarship 2013-14.

I am grateful for the sponsorship of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the Florence Nightingale Foundation and the Burdett Trust for Nursing for the fantastic opportunities and superb support received during my scholarship year. I would like to thank my sponsor Mary Wells for the advice and support provided throughout my scholarship. I’d like to thank my husband John and children David and Claire for their incredible support throughout my career.

This is a personal story of my experience and academic work conducted as a result of the Leadership Scholarship from the Florence Nightingale Foundation during 2013-14. It will include a brief summary of my personal and career development goals, achievements during the scholarship and an executive summary of the improvement project I worked on during my scholarship

During 2012 and after being a Deputy Director of Nursing for over four years I was aware that I required further career development and with encouragement from colleagues applied for the Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership scholarship to improve my leadership skills with the aim of becoming a leader with the skills and self-confidence to contribute positively and with some significance to patient care in the difficult environment that is the NHS.

Objectives for the scholarship year:

  • Learning new skills to benefit patients and the strategic objectives of the organisation.
  • Improved networking skills.
  • Increased political astuteness and the ability to function successfully in a very political environment.
  • Increased personal confidence.
  • Achieve a Director of Nursing position.

Personal development

Assessments

Following a number of assessments at the beginning of my scholarship year, my personality type, learning styles and career objectives were discussed. Potential opportunities for my scholarship aimed at developing my leadership skills and career objectives were explored and was followed up with a frank and constructive discussion about areas I needed to develop in order to meet my full personal development potential.

Mentorship

My mentor, Mary Wells has a long history of high profile positions in Health and Social Care as well as third sector organisations. Mary guided and supported me to expand and realize my potential and gave me the inspiration to make the most of the opportunities available during the scholarship and both achieve my personal and career ambitions.

Coaching

During the course of the scholarship year it has become apparent to me that I need some career coaching to help me achieve my career objectives.

The Florence Nightingale Foundation has agreed that with my remaining scholarship funds I can engage a coach and I have engaged a professional coach for six sessions.

Experiences during my scholarship year:

  • Leading Change through Organisational Renewal
  • Westminster Experience
  • Florence Nightingale Conference
  • Shadowing Tracey Gaucci  – Nursing Officer Welsh Government
  • Shadowing David Sissling – Chief Executive NHS Wales
  • RADA – Communication skills for leaders
  • Ashridge Leadership Process
  • Seattle Study tour including a number of clinical visits and a three day creative leadership retreat

Personal project

My patient project was the development of a quality assurance strategy for the organisation. During the course of the year a project/stakeholder group was established and met regularly to work through the requirements of the organisation in terms of a quality assurance strategy. The group worked with a project plan towards the production, implementation and evaluation of the quality assurance strategy. The implementation phase of the project was due to occur between January –March 2014 but this was delayed for a number of reasons and will now take place during the summer of 2014. The final phase will be evaluation of the strategy which will now take place in the autumn/winter 2014.

Conclusion

The scholarship has facilitated and supported professional goals and personal development. It has contributed to strengthening my leadership and influencing abilities. The scholarship has been an intensive time for me full of very positive experiences and learning which have provided me with a new insight into my skills and abilities and also a new suite of tools to use in my future career. As a result; I have changed; my skills set has grown; my approach to all work is more informed; I have a good grasp of leadership and change management practice in complex organisations and will use the new thinking and skills in my future career.

Share this: