Developing nurse leaders for today and tomorrow, Part 1, foundations of leadership in practice

Primary care, with a community-based orientation, is the driving force of healthcare reform. To prepare nurses to provide leadership in this changing healthcare environment, the Manager as Developer Model, useful in the acute care setting, is discussed as a useful model for primary care. Part 1 describes the Manager as Developer Model of Leadership Preparation with its seven major concepts as the basis for development of professionals. Its application to nurse managers in acute care settings is supported by research studies undertaken in those settings. Also discussed is how the model is used as a process framework in a nursing administration curriculum and the research to date, with its application. In part 2 (October 1996), the authors predict how the model's use can guide the development of leadership and education for the future of community-based practice.