A Leadership Education and Development Program for Clinical Nurses.

Abstract

The Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program was designed to transform care at the bedside by empowering clinical nurses as leaders. The heart of LEAD was enhancing communication skills of clinical nurses with clinical colleagues and, most importantly, patients and families. Key concepts of leadership/management were included: personal awareness, personal leadership skills/abilities, leading change, leading others individually and in teams, enhancing the patient/provider experience, and the leadership role in outcomes management. A quantitative, longitudinal, survey design was used with 2 cohorts. The program consisted of six 4-hour sessions for 3 to 6 months. Leadership practices were measured before program implementation, at the end of the program, and 3 months after program completion. There were significant increases in leadership practices sustained 3 months after program completion. A range of other outcome measures was included. There is a need for additional leadership development programs for clinical nurses.