The Nurse Empowerment Program for Nurses in Direct Care Positions

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Leadership Development
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Leadership development for nurses in direct care roles is often overlooked compared to those in formal leadership positions.
• Current healthcare challenges, including pandemic impacts and workforce shifts, necessitate leadership skill enhancement across all nursing levels.
• Addressing leadership gaps is crucial for maintaining quality patient care and supporting the nursing profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an online educational program designed to enhance leadership skills among early-career nurses.
• To assess the impact of the program on nurses' self-perceived leadership abilities and their application in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of early-career nurses (≤10 years of experience) for an online leadership development program.
• Program content included 9 LinkedIn Learning courses, 3 Sigma leadership courses, an e-book, and a discussion board.
• Data collection via immediate post-program surveys and a 3-month follow-up survey.

Main Results:

• A high response rate (98.6% of 69 participants) for both immediate and 3-month follow-up surveys.
• The vast majority of participants reported applying new or improved leadership abilities in their nursing practice.
• Most nurses indicated applying these skills to a moderate or great degree.

Conclusions:

• The online leadership development program was positively received and valued by participants.
• The program demonstrated an association with improved self-assessed leadership skills among early-career nurses.
• Online educational initiatives can effectively support leadership growth within the nursing workforce.