Reclaiming nursing's power: Advancing national leadership through the revival of nursing theory

The United States faces persistent health inequities, chronic disease, and escalating mental health and social crises. As members of the largest and most trusted health profession, nurses are well positioned to contribute to national health leadership. Yet recent emphases on competencies, outcomes, and interprofessional training have sometimes reduced attention to the theoretical preparation needed for leadership and governance.

This article argues that renewed, critical engagement with nursing theory can strengthen nurses' preparation for leadership and policy roles and outlines implications for nursing education, leadership, practice, and research.

This article reviews nursing theory, acknowledging critiques of grand theories and the field's movement toward more pluralistic, empirically grounded, and equity-focused frameworks. It illustrates how Watson, Newman, and King can inform leadership and governance when used critically and alongside contemporary critical and decolonial perspectives. Educational strategies are proposed to connect theory with policy and leadership content, including mapping theories across curricula, embedding political and economic literacy, and developing longitudinal leadership pathways.

Nursing has made progress in policy and leadership education, yet nurses remain. underrepresented in governance relative to their potential influence. Reclaiming nursing theory as a living, evolving resource can enhance conceptual, ethical, and systems-level thinking.