NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 2 Managing the Toxic Leader

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX 5007 Leadership for Nursing Practice

Prof. Name

Date

Performance Improvement Plan Development

Effective leadership and performance management are crucial for delivering quality patient care and fostering a positive workplace culture (Huang et al., 2024). This document outlines a performance improvement plan (PIP) for Sarah Miller, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) working at Serenity Senior Care, an assisted living facility dedicated to providing compassionate and dignified care to its residents. Recently, several concerns have been raised regarding Sarah’s performance. As the newly assigned manager, I will assess these issues within the context of Serenity’s mission, aiming to develop a focused improvement strategy that supports Sarah’s professional growth while addressing the identified shortcomings.

Evaluating Leadership Practices to Address the Scenario

Addressing Sarah Miller’s performance challenges requires leadership that balances supportive coaching with firm accountability. Transformational and servant leadership styles are particularly applicable here. These leadership approaches foster personal growth and promote collaboration, aligning closely with Serenity Senior Care’s vision of compassionate, resident-centered care.

Transformational leadership emphasizes inspiring employees to grow by creating a work environment rooted in integrity, empathy, and mutual support (Gebreheat et al., 2023). In this context, I would meet with Sarah to clarify managerial expectations, discuss her responsibilities, and highlight how her role impacts both residents and colleagues. This leadership style enables me to empower Sarah with the tools and support she needs to develop professionally, setting clear pathways for improvement.

Conversely, servant leadership centers on prioritizing the needs and development of employees (Demeke et al., 2024). By addressing Sarah’s professional development needs and providing constructive feedback, this approach can encourage her receptiveness to change. Additionally, servant leadership encourages Sarah to prioritize the well-being of residents and colleagues, helping her align her practices with Serenity’s mission of resident-centered care.

Standards of Professional Performance Violated

Two key American Nurses Association (ANA) standards are compromised in Sarah’s performance: collaboration and quality of practice.

Standard	Violation	Impact
Collaboration	Sarah’s refusal to work cooperatively with peers and her negative attitude impair teamwork and group efforts (ANA, 2020).	Poor collaboration disrupts care coordination and diminishes team morale, ultimately affecting resident care.
Quality of Practice	Failure to document care thoroughly, neglect of fall prevention protocols, and gaps in resident care (ANA, 2020).	Incomplete documentation and safety oversights increase risk to residents and expose the facility to liability.

Further specific performance gaps include:

• Resident Care: Sarah efficiently completes tasks but lacks the warm, personalized care Serenity promises, negatively impacting residents’ emotional well-being.
• Documentation: Her records are often incomplete or inaccurately completed, hindering team members’ ability to maintain continuity and safety in care.
• Teamwork: Colleagues report that Sarah is uncooperative and occasionally rude, creating a hostile work environment.
• Resident Safety: Several near-falls have occurred under Sarah’s supervision, indicating insufficient attention to fall risks despite no injuries so far.

Employee Behavior and Action Plan for Improvement

Serenity Senior Care’s mission is to provide elder care that promotes dignity, independence, and a safe environment free from abuse. The organization prioritizes resident safety, quality improvement, collaboration, and professionalism. Sarah’s performance issues—poor communication, inadequate documentation, task-oriented rather than resident-focused care, and safety lapses—contradict Serenity’s mission and values.

Compassion is a cornerstone of quality healthcare, enhancing patient satisfaction and outcomes while supporting staff well-being (Malenfant et al., 2022). Sarah’s impersonal approach and communication challenges conflict with this critical value, affecting both resident experiences and team cohesion.

Inadequate documentation and neglect of fall prevention not only compromise resident safety but also undermine the integrity of care continuity (Demsash et al., 2023). These deficiencies put both residents and the organization at risk, threatening Serenity’s reputation.

Given Sarah’s five years at Serenity, these challenges may stem from temporary stressors such as workload, burnout, or personal issues. Understanding these factors allows us to craft a fair and supportive PIP aligned with the organization’s goals.

Action Plan Overview

The improvement plan centers on defining clear expectations, developing targeted skills, and establishing measurable outcomes to help Sarah align with Serenity’s mission of compassionate and safe care.

Performance Area	Expectations	Interventions & Timeline
Resident Interaction	Prioritize empathetic, individualized care over task completion.	Ongoing coaching to enhance compassionate communication.
Documentation	Complete accurate and thorough records each shift to ensure continuity and safety.	Documentation training (Demsash et al., 2023) and weekly audits for 1 month.
Teamwork & Communication	Actively participate in team discussions; communicate respectfully.	Attend TeamSTEPPS training (Hassan et al., 2024) during weeks 2-4.
Fall Prevention & Safety	Implement at least two safety strategies (e.g., clearing pathways, regular risk assessments).	Join fall prevention program in first 2 weeks (Ojo & Thiamwong, 2022).
Mentorship & Feedback	Meet weekly with a senior nurse mentor and attend weekly feedback sessions with nurse manager.	Weekly meetings throughout 8-week plan for guidance and motivation.

Timeline and Milestones

Week	Activities
Week 1	Initial meeting to set goals, clarify expectations, and schedule training.
Weeks 2-4	Completion of fall prevention and TeamSTEPPS training; weekly feedback and mentoring begin.
Weeks 5-8	Documentation audits with weekly error checks; additional collaboration training if needed.
End of Week 8	Comprehensive performance review evaluating progress in resident care, teamwork, and safety.

Successful completion of this plan is expected to improve resident satisfaction, strengthen team dynamics, enhance documentation accuracy, and reduce safety incidents. Should Sarah face barriers to progress, adjustments will be made, potentially including additional resources or alternative interventions. This structured approach enables Sarah to meet professional standards while advancing Serenity’s mission and vision.

Conclusion

This Performance Improvement Plan provides Sarah Miller with clear expectations, targeted training, and consistent mentorship to improve her professional performance at Serenity Senior Care. By fostering compassionate resident care, enhancing teamwork, ensuring accurate documentation, and promoting safety protocols, the plan supports both individual development and organizational excellence. Ultimately, this structured guidance aims to improve the care environment for residents and staff alike, aligning with Serenity’s commitment to dignity, safety, and quality.

References

ANA. (2020). ANA principles. ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/official-position-statements/ana-principles/

Demeke, G. K., Engen, M. van, & Markos, S. (2024). Servant leadership in the healthcare literature: A systematic review. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 16(16), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2147/jhl.s440160

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 2 Managing the Toxic Leader

Demsash, A. W., Kassie, S. Y., Dubale, A. T., Chereka, A. A., Ngusie, H. S., Hunde, M. K., Emanu, M. D., Shibabaw, A. A., & Walle, A. D. (2023). Health professionals’ routine practice documentation and its associated factors in a resource-limited setting: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Health & Care Informatics, 30(1), e100699. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjhci-2022-100699

Gebreheat, G., Teame, H., & Costa, E. (2023). The impact of transformational leadership style on nurses’ job satisfaction: An integrative review. SAGE Open Nursing, 9(2). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23779608231197428

Hassan, A. E., Mohammed, F. A., Zakaria, A. M., & Ibrahim, I. A. (2024). Evaluating the effect of TeamSTEPPS on teamwork perceptions and patient safety culture among newly graduated nurses. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 170. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01850-y

Huang, C.-H., Wu, H.-H., Lee, Y.-C., & Li, X. (2024). The critical role of leadership in patient safety culture: A mediation analysis of management influence on safety factors. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 17(17), 513–523. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s446651

Malenfant, S., Jaggi, P., Hayden, K. A., & Sinclair, S. (2022). Compassion in healthcare: An updated scoping review of the literature. BMC Palliative Care, 21(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-022-00942-3

NURS FPX 5007 Assessment 2 Managing the Toxic Leader

Ojo, E. O., & Thiamwong, L. (2022). Effects of nurse-led fall prevention programs for older adults: A systematic review. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 26(3), 417. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9432804/