Reaping what we sow: nursing education and leadership in Canada and the United States.

Abstract

United States have a tremendous responsibility in relation to leadership and the nursing profession. Nursing schools are charged with ensuring that graduates are competent practitioners. Moreover, graduates must actualize leadership within the profession. Leadership occurs at those relationship intersections where nurses come into contact with the public: patients and families, agencies and institutions, the healthcare system and government at all levels. The seeds of leadership are planted in entry-to-practice programs, taking root and growing strong in supportive practice settings. It is at the master’s and doctoral levels of education that many of our leaders fully blossom in all nursing domains: practice, education, administration and research. When we (Gregory, Russell) reflect on our roles as clinicians, educators, researchers and education administrators over the past two decades, we can make two major observations: • The development of our leadership skills was mostly ad hoc, “on the job” and occasionally “post-hoc.” There was no systematic or integrated leadership immersion within and across the programs we completed. The seeds of leadership were scattered haphazardly. Ongoing and sustained nurturing with respect to leadership was lacking. Leaders most often grew by chance, in spite of what was or was not done to enhance that growth. • Explicit leadership connections among education, practice, administration and research were often Reaping What We Sow: Nursing Education and Leadership in Canada and the United States