| Course | NUR 431 Leadership Practices for the Professional Nurse |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Leadership philosophy journal |
| Length | About 450 words, 3 pages |
| Format | Journal entry with APA 7 citations |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 431 Module 1
Module One Journal
Three Beliefs I Brought to Nights, and the One the First Month Already Tested
A month ago I became the night house supervisor at a 25-bed critical access hospital. I had been a staff nurse in our emergency department for nine years. On most nights I am now the senior clinician in the building: two nurses in the emergency department, on the inpatient side two RNs, an LPN and one aide, lab and radiology on call from home and a hospitalist who reaches us by video. When the course asked for my leadership philosophy, I found I had three beliefs, and I had never written any of them down.
The first is that people do their best work for leaders who know them. I learned that from a charge nurse who knew which of us needed a word of encouragement and which needed to be left alone. The second is that a leader's job at night is to make the next decision easier for everyone else, which means being visible, answering the phone and knowing where the resources are. The third is that I should never ask someone to do what I would not do myself.
The evidence supports the first two beliefs more than I expected. Cummings et al. (2018) sifted upward of 50,000 citations down to 129 quantitative studies; across them, leaders who worked through relationships were tied again and again to more satisfied, healthier nurses, while leaders who attended only to tasks were not. On job satisfaction alone, 52 of the studies pointed one way for relational leaders and 16 the other way for task-focused ones. A review of nurse work environments in the United States reached a related conclusion, identifying leadership as one of the main influences on whether nurses experience their workplace as healthy (Wei et al., 2018).
The third belief is the one the first month tested. On my second week, the emergency department was overwhelmed and I jumped in to start IVs and take a patient myself. It felt right. Then I realized that for forty minutes no one had been watching the inpatient side, where a swing-bed patient's oxygen needs were creeping up, and no one knew who to call. Doing the work beside my staff is part of who I am, but it cannot replace keeping the whole building in view. Kouzes and Posner (2017) describe modeling the way as setting an example through action, but they pair it with enabling others to act, and I had forgotten the second half.
The question I want this course to help me answer is how to stay close to the work, which is where my credibility comes from, without disappearing into it.
References
Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., & Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 85, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.04.016
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Wiley.
Wei, H., Sewell, K. A., Woody, G., & Rose, M. A. (2018). The state of the science of nurse work environments in the United States: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 5(3), 287-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.04.010
What the NUR 431 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first journal in NUR 431 usually asks you to describe your personal leadership philosophy or style and reflect on how it developed. Common prompts ask which leaders influenced you, what you believe good nursing leadership looks like, how your current role lets you lead, and what you hope to develop during the course. Some sections ask you to complete a leadership self-assessment and discuss the results. The entry usually runs about a page, a little more at most, in your own voice, and instructors often want one citation or more tying your view to the readings. Writing from a real role, even a staff nurse role, makes the philosophy concrete and much easier to build on in later modules.
How this NUR 431 Module 1 journal example is built
This journal is written by a nurse one month into a night house supervisor role at a composite rural critical access hospital. It opens with the setting and names three beliefs about leadership, each traced to an experience. It then tests the beliefs against two systematic reviews: one showing that relational leadership styles are associated with better nurse outcomes and one identifying leadership as a key influence on healthy work environments. The writer admits a belief the first month challenged, working beside staff at the expense of watching the whole building, and connects that lesson to a leadership framework. The entry ends with a question the course can help answer.
Where the NUR 431 Module 1 rubric puts the points
Grading for this journal typically considers self-awareness, the connection between beliefs and experience, the use of course concepts or evidence, and clear, professional writing. Self-awareness earns the most credit when the writer names a limitation or tension, not only strengths. The connection criterion rewards beliefs traced to specific people or events. Evidence is best used to test or deepen a belief rather than to decorate it, and accurate reporting of findings matters even in a journal. A closing question or goal shows the grader where the writer's development will go next and often lifts the score on reflection, since it signals that the journal is the start of a longer process.
NUR 431 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
The most common problem with the first leadership journal is a list of admirable traits, such as honest, fair and supportive, with no example of any of them in action. Another is describing leadership in general without saying anything about the writer's own role or setting. Some students cite a leadership theory and simply declare that they follow it. Others write only about strengths. Choose two or three beliefs you actually hold, show where each came from, test at least one against a source, admit where your practice falls short and finish with something you want to learn during the course. Honest journals are easier to write and easier to grade well.
Get NUR 431 Module 1 written to your instructions
Describe your current role and one or two leaders who shaped you, and paste the Module 1 prompt. A leadership philosophy journal in your voice is written within 24 to 48 hours, and the first sample is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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NUR 431 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 431 Module 1 journal sample?
The complete journal on this page can be read for free: a new night house supervisor's leadership philosophy with three beliefs, evidence from two systematic reviews, an honest lesson from the first month and three references. A journal built on your own role is available on request.
What is a nursing leadership philosophy?
A short statement of what you believe about leading others in nursing, where those beliefs came from and how they guide your actions. It works best when tied to specific experiences.
Can a staff nurse write about leadership in NUR 431?
Yes. Charge duties, precepting, speaking up in a huddle or coordinating care all involve leadership. Use the situations you actually face.
Does the Module 1 journal need sources?
Many sections expect at least one. Use a study or framework to test or explain one of your beliefs, and cite it in APA 7.
What leadership style is best for nurses?
A large systematic review found that relational styles, such as transformational and resonant leadership, were consistently associated with better outcomes for nurses than task-focused styles.