Developing nursing leadership in an ambulatory surgical center through shared responsibility

As health care continues to change at an unprecedented pace, so must nursing models of leadership. Nurse managers must look at successful models of leadership from the past and build successful components into new models of nursing health care leadership. The bureaucratic hierarchical system of the past does not keep today's nurse satisfied, nor are there monies in our current health care system for multiple layers of management. The leadership skills inherent in every professional staff nurse must be used and developed within the new health care arena for fiscal responsibility as well as professional satisfaction. Presented is one model used at our ambulatory surgical center. It is based on the premise of "shared responsibility" in which each person functions as a manager and a leader instead of one individual functioning to lead all who must be managed. Duties and responsibilities are divided among staff members, and each person has authority, responsibility, and accountability for specific tasks and functions with the ambulatory surgical center (ASC).