Learning resources and training opportunities for advanced nurse practitioners under the leadership pillar
Leadership in equality and diversity
This section is still in development, please see below an outline of what might be in this section.
Supporting others - Wellbeing and Self Care
Leadership is a key facilitator of staff experience and wellbeing.
As a leader it is vital you are aware of the available resources to support everyone in your team be informed, included and feel a valued member of the team. It is also vital to look after yourself too.
We have put together a selection of resources to help you to support your own and others wellbeing.
Turas Learn has a range of information and learning resources available:
Resilience
The ability to build and maintain personal resilience is foundational to being a leader who can meet challenges.
To assist in your reflections on your own resilience and how to build upon it, Robertson Cooper offer a free resilience questionnaire and report iResilience: Free Personal Resilience Report | Robertson Cooper.
Part of increasing resilience is managing our own wellbeing and ensuring we have positive ways to care for ourselves, please see below for further signposting to resources to support wellbeing.
For those in roles that can support the development of health and wellbeing in staff the Institute of Healthcare Improvement have a guide to promoting wellbeing and a Framework for Improving Joy in Work.
Many boards have developed their own resources for individuals and for those leading and managing others. For those working out with boards your own local organisation may also have resources you can access such as employee assistance programmes; your HR team can guide you further wherever you work.
Supporting Others – Supervision, Coaching and Mentoring
As an advanced level practitioner leader, you will be supporting others on a regular basis be this formally in a supervisory context or informally supporting peers and team members.
Daniel Pink states that ‘At some level leadership is about creating other leaders’ and this is true within advanced level practice leadership. He suggests two main types of activity. Identifying and developing individuals with leadership capability and creating a team culture that supports and encourages leadership.
There are many ways that you can support others. Some examples include:
Supervision
Supervision is a core requirement of advanced practice, and any healthcare professional supervising others needs to be appropriately prepared for the role meeting their professional regulatory standards.
For more information on supervision and advanced level practice roles go to the Facilitation of Learning pillar.
Peer supervision usually refers to reciprocal arrangements in which peers work together for mutual benefit where developmental feedback is emphasised and self-directed learning and evaluation is encouraged (Benshoff, J.M. 1992). Leadership roles should enable these opportunities for others due to the benefits for staff these learning opportunities create.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) report presents the key findings from a literature review exploring the characteristics of effective clinical and peer supervision. Peer supervision is further explained in this article.
Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring can be effective approaches to developing and supporting others in the workplace.
Coaching
“Coaching gives an opportunity for constructive reflection with someone who will be open, honest and impartial” Coaching Matters Guide (2020).
Coaching can help you to develop a range of interpersonal skills, build your capacity to understand and empathise with others and develop your range of leadership and influencing styles.
Turas Learn has more information on coaching and how to access coaching sessions and training.
As part of your leadership development, it is worth considering participating in a coaching relationship.
Self-coaching is another approach you may wish to add to your toolkit. Self-coaching is described as having an ability to support self-care. ‘Know you more’ can support the development of self-coaching strategies watch this session by Jeremy Hinks on self-coaching for self-care.
Mentoring
Mentoring is also a way to provide support, advice and guidance in a relationship which is confidential, open and non-judgmental and where the mentor listens and asks questions which help.
the mentee to reflect on their own development. Mentorship is normally an agreement for a defined period of time to support learning and professional development in a specific area.
Turas Learn has more information on mentoring.
Useful resources:
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has a mentoring platform via an online hub available to chartered, associate and retired members.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has developed resources to support mentorship that can be accessed by members here.