Leadership scheme targets new nurse and midwifery graduates

The Modernising Nursing Careers initiative offers development opportunities to recently registered nurses and midwives. The initiative has included a pilot for early clinical career fellowships, which has been running since 2007. Lessons from the pilot and from a national evaluation have led to an enhanced model of leadership development. The fellowship scheme has a rigorous selection process, an effective support infrastructure and requires candidates to study for a clinically relevant master's degree. Indicators from the pilot suggest fellows are appointed to higher grade posts early in their careers, suggesting that investing in nurses and midwives near the start of their working lives can bring forth a new generation of clinical leaders. A follow-up longitudinal study will use pilot findings to inform developments.