Leadership in action: students learn with resource persons

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Leadership Development
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The education-practice gap in nursing leadership is a persistent challenge.
• Undergraduate nursing programs seek effective strategies to prepare students for real-world leadership roles.
• Bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application is crucial for developing competent nurse leaders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of learning opportunities with nurse leaders as resource persons for undergraduate nursing students.
• To explore the benefits of these interactions for both students and resource persons.
• To assess the role of this strategy in developing beginning leadership skills and narrowing the education-practice gap.

Main Methods:

• Faculty maintain weekly contact with resource persons, facilitating exchange of observations and feedback.
• Resource persons, including head nurses, engage directly with students.
• Ongoing dialogue between faculty and resource persons addresses anticipated and experienced challenges.

Main Results:

• Students gain practical insights into "real-world" nursing leadership and management.
• Resource persons report increased clinical inquiry stimulated by student interactions.
• Students value the experience, recognizing its role in reinforcing theoretical concepts and applying classroom learning.
• A head nurse expressed that such a program would have been invaluable during her own undergraduate studies.

Conclusions:

• Individual learning opportunities with nurse leaders as resource persons offer a unique and invaluable experience for nursing leadership students.
• This strategy effectively enhances students' orientation to nursing leadership and management.
• The approach successfully narrows the education-practice gap, fostering the development of essential leadership skills.