Effective Following: A Counterpart to Leadership

Certification examination questions may ask the nurse to choose which treatment, medication, or intravenous fluid should be administered to a patient, even though the nurse’s role does not include initiating these orders. It is accurate but oversimplistic to say that the nurse “follows” orders from the physician or advanced practice provider. It is easy to hear the word follower and picture someone passive and unquestioning, but there are various types of followers. Effective followers are not dependent or submissive; they display a high level of independent discernment.¹  An effective follower critically evaluates the direction of a leader and actively engages in adding input to further the team’s goals. For example, a physician or nurse practitioner places an order to obtain blood cultures for a patient with sepsis. The competent nurse shows effective followership by prioritizing the blood cultures before antibiotic administration and additionally suggesting a culture of the...