The nurse executive role in quality and high performing health services

To explore and identify the core elements of the nurse executive role and the contribution these posts make to health service organisations in terms of quality and performance.

With the ongoing global reform of health services and, in particular, currently in Australia, this commentary paper explores the available evidence that explains and describes the role that nursing leaders can and do play at executive level in enabling quality services in high performing health-care organisations.

While the overall literature is limited in relation to the role and function of nurse executives, there are strong and recurrent themes indicating that nurses by virtue of their professional background and experience can provide effective and influential input to executive boards. Executive nurses are well positioned to influence and lead professional governance, quality improvement, service transformation and change and shared governance.

At a time when the role of nursing executives may be questioned, the evidence supports the positive impact of highly skilled nursing executives in contributing to the implementation of effective health services. Successful health services should be engaging nurse executives who have the high level of expertise, education, the best leadership and management attributes to bring the art and science of nursing to produce outcomes for organisations.

Nurse executives must remain alert to the ongoing challenges and potential questioning on the value that nurses can bring to an executive board. The framework of nursing executive influence and leadership through professional governance, quality improvement, service transformation and change and shared governance is one possible approach that nurse executives may wish to apply to articulate their contribution and value in remaining at the executive board table.