Southern New Hampshire University

NUR 400 X1201

What are the healthcare leader’s day-to-day responsibilities within the organization?
Day to day responsibilities at the urgent care walk-in clinic includes diagnosing and
treating patients with illnesses or injuries. They assess patient conditions, educate patients and
family members about medical options, prescribe medications and treatments, and perform other
duties to support patients. The leadership role also calls for responding to emails, attending
meetings, minimizing ER wait times, ensuring safety and comfort of patients.
What education and practice experiences have prepared the leader for their current role?
To become an advanced practice nurse practitioner (APRN) in a leadership role at a walkin urgent care center, you must first become a Registered Nurse and/or Earn a bachelor's degree.
The next step leading up to the current role was gaining experience in the field and obtaining a
graduate degree studying family nurse practitioner. After graduation, Paula achieved state
licensure as an APRN.
What type of organizational structure is present within the organization? For example, is it
a hierarchical structure or a decentralized, shared governance structure?
The urgent care clinic has a hierarchical organization structure. At the top of the
organizational chart is the medical director. The medical director oversees all clinical aspects of
the clinic, meeting professional guidelines and work force requirements. Her responsibilities
include recruiting clinicians, developing clinical protocols and training providers. A practice
administrator is a non-physician who has ultimate responsibility for the day-to-day
2

REFLECTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
administrative operations of the clinic. Nurses make up much of the clinical provider team, LPNs
and APRSs, which is the heart of an outpatient clinic’s organizational structure.
What types of communication patterns or issues are present and affected by the current
organizational structure?
Two types of communication patterns that are present at the facility, are chain and circle
communication patterns. In circle, the leader communicates to the m