Developing clinical leadership in New Zealand hospice staff nurses

Staff nurse clinical leadership is a relatively new concept that includes the elements of collaboration, coordination, patient advocacy, and often quite autonomous decision-making required of palliative care nurses. Staff nurses need structural and psychological empowerment to develop as clinical leaders.

The aim of this study was to establish baseline data regarding the self-perceived structural and psychological empowerment experienced by New Zealand hospice staff nurses and their ability to practise as clinical leaders.

An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used, which included questionnaires measuring structural and psychological empowerment and clinical leadership behaviours and focus group discussions.

Survey respondents reported that they were moderately psychologically and sometimes or rarely structurally empowered and felt that they can practise as clinical leaders most of the time. Two themes were identified from the focus groups.

New Zealand staff hospice nurses felt that-despite feeling only moderately psychologically empowered, and only sometimes or rarely structurally empowered-they practise as clinical leaders most of the time.