Followership, teamwork, and wellness among nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Effective followership is progressively acknowledged as an essential professional competency in healthcare. However, nursing education has traditionally emphasized leadership development, resulting in a limited understanding of how followership relates to teamwork and wellness during professional preparation. Evidence regarding effective followership among nursing students remains scarce.

To examine the relationships among effective followership, teamwork, individual wellness, and organizational wellness among nursing students and to identify factors associated with effective followership.

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 325 nursing students recruited from universities in Jordan. Participants completed an online survey comprising measures of effective followership, teamwork perceptions, individual wellness, and organizational wellness. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression were used to examine the data. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of the investigator-developed measures.

Students reported moderate levels of effective followership and teamwork perceptions. Effective followership demonstrated strong positive associations with teamwork perceptions (r = 0.66), individual wellness (r = 0.59), and organizational wellness (r = 0.59). Multiple linear regression showed that teamwork (β = 0.576, p < 0.001), GPA (β = 0.210, p < 0.001), and academic level (β = 0.083, p = 0.041) were significant predictors of effective followership, with the model explaining 47.10% of the variance (R² = 0.471). Students demonstrating greater active engagement, accountability, and independent critical thinking reported more positive collaborative and wellness experiences.

Effective followership appears to be an important professional competency associated with teamwork and wellness among nursing students. The results support consideration of the inclusion of followership development alongside leadership preparation within nursing curricula. Educational strategies that promote active engagement, accountability, constructive communication, and shared responsibility may better prepare students for interprofessional healthcare practice.