One situation where I was in a follower role but still showed leadership was during a particularly busy shift when we were short-staffed. I focused on managing myself well by staying organized and prioritizing tasks without needing constant direction. I also communicated with my team, jumped in where I was needed, and kept a positive attitude.
By managing myself effectively, I actually supported the leader of the team and helped keep things running smoothly. Even though I Wasn’t in charge, my actions set an example for others and helped create a calmer, more cooperative environment. That experience showed me that leadership isn’t just about having a title; it can also come through being a strong follower who lifts the team up.

I would like to share my experience during my night shift.
RN was scheduled from the agency. She had very little experience with LTC. One resident became very aggressive. Where pharmacological and non pharmacological interventions did not work.He hit one team member.As per policy I paged code white, contacted the 911 services,provided information to police and supported them to control resident sent to hospital. I did all the paper work.The incident report, employ incident,submitted to management,contacted the family.
Night shift team members appreciated for taking charge of the situations and felt supportive.

When our hospital transitioned from paper charting to a new computer system, I had to follow the training and learn it just like everyone else. At first, I wasn’t fully ready to adapt to the change, but I committed to the process. At the same time, I was selected as a superuser for the team. This meant that while I was still learning and adapting myself, I also took on the responsibility of helping others understand and use the system effectively. By supporting my colleagues, answering their questions, and troubleshooting issues, I demonstrated leadership through teamwork, patience, and guidance. Following first gave me the knowledge I needed, and that allowed me to lead by example and contribute to the team’s success.

As part of a small team (Infection Control) my coworkers and I rotate being “Team Lead” when our manager is off. Although we don’t have our managers physical leadership at the time she is away, when we step into the role we have the resources to guide us in specific situations.
One example I have “followed” and by doing so showed Leadership, was when I was Team Lead and we saw an increase in Covid positive Patients on a unit that met criteria to have an outbreak declared. I lived through many Covid outbreaks over the last few years, but our Manger did most of the work related to line lists, reaching out to the health unit, writing and sending out outbreak communications etc. There are many pieces to declaring an outbreak, but through her mentorship and “shared leadership” we felt confident declaring the outbreak without her present. Because I was Team Lead I took on the leadership role and delegated tasks to the other staff so we could work together to declare the outbreak collectively. We were able to manage ourselves to complete all of the requirements to declare the outbreak in a timely manner, keeping our Patients and Staff safety a priority.

A situation where I have followed that showed leadership was when I started to become more confident in my role as a nurse. I became more confident in my decisions, my critical thinking skills had developed and I was able to Handel situations on my own before turning to my leaders for help. I think this helped show my independence as a nurse and that I could be someone who was trusted. I looked at my leaders and build my own practice based on the care and attention they gave to there patients and I wanted to do the same. An experience I have with my new role in primary care we had a new NP training and was behind on Lab work so with my knowledge and skill set I was able to assess and triage Labs as request by our director to assist the NP lead.

We have a patient who is prone to seizures due to their medical condition. I have followed RN nurses who had to intervene when this happened (as they asked for help before), so one time that everyone was really busy, I came to answer an emergency callbell from one of our vents. I realized that the patient is having a seizure. Since I once followed an RN before (the patient is assigned to an RN as she can be unstable sometimes), I did what I knew to do. Immediately asked for help, stopped the enteral feeds, grabbed the medication, and administered it. While I was doing what I was doing, other nurses who came to help were checking the vitals, positioning the patient, and someone even had to call the doctor as we had already reached the maximum ordered medication to give because the seizures were still ongoing.

My example would be that during a day shift and we had very little support. It was a day that could easily turn into a day of overwhelm. I stayed supportive and positive throughout the day, especially when overwhelm was at its peak. I was determined to stay supportive and jump in where I could. It made the day go smooth and everything got done.

I will be honest, I have struggled with this question. I can truly not think of a time I was a follower and it lead to being a leader.
Maybe a little well I was the back up skin and wound as a follower. I then was following the lead and would then take over to be doing the dressings on a resident in LTC. It felt nice to be able to lead and explain to my leader what I was doing and why I was doing it.

One situation where I demonstrated leadership through following was when a resident who was at high risk for falls, one time tripped on her foot rest and fall.. After ensuring the resident received immediate care I guide my team on strategies to help prevent future falls. I demonstrated proper safety measures such removed the foot stop when resident is sitting in her wheelchair. ensure chair alarm in place and put resident in high vision area for supervision. And encourage everyone to close to monitor the resident. By taking the lead in this situation, I was able to support my team in providing safe care. and our approach proved to be very effective .

An example of following while being a leader would be my Organization’s yearly open house. I volunteer for this position as it gives me a chance to talk about our program, what we do and how we help clients. This shows that I am competent in my work and what I do day to day. It shows that I am confident enough to speak to people of higher authority and positions to provide them with education on my role within my Organization.

Hi Stephanie
I am working in the long term care I have the same feeling as you when we are working short with little support .Remember we have a resident have one on one daily. One day the PSW called in sick. In this situation . I being the leader on the floor. I arrange the resident sitting closed my nursing station .I can monitor her anytime. The meantime I can give medication just for watch her. Also demonstrate other team member to monitor resident in turn, Put resident in high vision area. Anyone pass around will take care of the resident. When resident is creaming and calling for help. I went talk to her get her attention and offer a baby toy or offer resident a snack a drink. playing a musical to her. Following my role Every one take care of the resident . We have a very smooth day and the resident did not have a fall .At the end of the day I praised my team member great job for every one.

One time I was in a follower role as an RPN but still showed leadership was during a busy shift in long term care with residents with dementia who were upset and agitated. I focused on staying calm, following the care plan and charge nurse RN instructions. I redirected the residents back to a safe place ensuring they are comfortable and safe. I also communicated with the personal support workers letting them know what each resident needed. My actions showed responsibility, empathy and teamwork and encouraged coworkers to stay organized and focused.

Prior to my role as a team lead, there was a program change where we slightly merged with another program and had to move floors, my coworkers were all quite upset about this. I tried to be positive and agreeable with the change, and point out ways that this could be beneficial for our program and clients although it will take getting used to, to try and help my coworkers feel more confortable and agreeable with the change at the time

I think the good example of when I followed and by doing that showed leadership was when our hospital switched to a new process in regards to wound documentation. There was a lot of resistance from “old-timers” and our NPL had some tough times. Since I am a somewhat new nurse it was a lot easier for me to accept the new way. Not only did I document using the new process, but I also taught new hires the new way and often in the presence of the regular nurses. Eventually there were more people on the unit charting the proper way, which left the resistitive staff in the minority and forced them to follow the rest of us as not to stand out.

One situation where i showed leadership through following was during my pre-grad placement. Our assigned nurse was managing multiple high-acuity patients, so instead of taking the lead, I focused on supporting her effectively. I paid attention to instructions, anticipated needs, and staying organized with my own responsibilities. By communicating clearly, helping prioritized care, and maintaining calm, positive attitude, I contributed to a smoother workflow for the team.

Through this experience, I learned that leadership is not only about giving directions, it’s also about being dependable, proactive and cooperative. By following with intension and professionalism, I helped create a supportive environment that benefited both the nurse and our patients.

My example of following and showing leadership would be in Code White events. For our facility, it is called when someone (resident, staff or visitor) is showing aggression, which can be threatening or dangerous to surrounding people. When responding to a code white, the supervisor takes charge, well the rest of us stay further back and remove other people from the situation. I followed their lead, but also lead some other team members on what to do next, as they were newer staff and were not sure of the protocol. I did so without interrupting the lead in the code and resident with the threatening behavior. It kept new staff and surrounding residents calm and trusting of the process. They felt safe and supported.