The impact of surge capacity enhancement training for nursing managers on hospital disaster preparedness and response: an action research study.

INTRODUCTION: Hospitals as the main providers of healthcare services play an essential role in the management of disasters and emergencies. Nurses are one of the important and influential elements in increasing the surge capacity of hospitals. Accordingly, the present study aimed to assess the effect of surge capacity enhancement training for nursing managers on hospital disaster preparedness and response. METHODS: All nursing managers employed at Motahari Hospital in Tehran took part in this interventional pre- and post-test action research study. Ultimately, a total of 20 nursing managers were chosen through a census method and underwent training in hospital capacity fluctuations. The Iranian version of the "Hospital Emergency Response Checklist" was used to measure hospital disaster preparedness and response before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The overall hospital disaster preparedness and response score was 184 (medium level) before the intervention and 216 (high level) after the intervention. The intervention was effective in improving the dimensions of hospital disaster preparedness, including "command and control", "triage", "human resources", "communication", "surge capacity", "logistics and supply", "safety and security", and "recovery", but had not much impact on the "continuity of essential services" component. CONCLUSION: The research demonstrated that enhancing the disaster preparedness of hospitals can be achieved by training nursing managers using an action research approach. Encouraging their active participation in identifying deficiencies, problems, and weaknesses related to surge capacity, and promoting the adoption and implementation of suitable strategies, can enhance overall hospital disaster preparedness.

Leadership Succession Planning for ANCC Accredited Providers in Nursing Continuing Professional Development.

Succession planning in leadership is a strategic process used to identify and develop future leaders to fill key organizational positions. This process ensures continuity of leadership and helps maintain the organization's performance over time. Succession planning is essential for critical roles and can be part of a broader strategic plan for talent management. Organizations that are accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) can benefit from implementing succession planning to drive the stability of its work as an Accredited Provider and confirm that the organization maintains its commitment to quality in providing NCPD. This column describes how the Accredited Provider Program Director (AP-PD) role can benefit from implementing succession planning into the structure of the Accredited Provider processes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(7):321-325.].

Enhancing Organizational Review and Promoting Sustainability of DNP Student Projects: Implications for Nurse Leaders.

This project aimed to evaluate the DNP projects at an academic medical center, assess the sustainability of DNP final projects, and explore potential opportunities to enhance the organizational review processes. The organization's graduate student review committee reviewed DNP projects implemented at the organization over the last 8 years. The sustainability of projects was less than anticipated. Recommendations are provided to enhance the DNP project approval process and improve strategies for sustainability.

Training Opportunities for Managers in Home Health, Hospice, and Community-Based Care Settings.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify areas for developing management skills-focused continuing education for managers working in home health, hospice, and community-based settings. BACKGROUND: Healthcare managers play a vital role in organizations, yet they have a range of management training. METHODS: Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of managers at a large Visiting Nurse Association. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed to examine confidence in management skills by respondent characteristic. Factor and cluster analyses were used to examine differences by role. RESULTS: For all 33 management tasks, managers with 6+ years of experience reported greater confidence than managers with 0 to 5 years of experience. Tasks with the lowest confidence were budgeting, interpreting annual reports, strategic planning, measuring organizational performance, and project planning. Managers were clustered into 5 "profiles." CONCLUSION: Management training is not 1-size-fits-all. Healthcare organizations should consider investing in training specific to the identified low-confidence areas and manager roles to better support and develop a robust management workforce.

Influencing leadership in nursing education and practice: A qualitative study of military nurse officers.

BACKGROUND: The potential positive impact military nurse officers (MNOs) make on the nursing profession, as well as lessons learned, often is unknown beyond inner military circles. PURPOSE: Describe the experiences of MNOs in the advancement of the profession of nursing and nursing education, and how military service influenced nurse leaders' impact on civilian practice. METHOD: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative study using semistructured interviews of MNOs (N = 21). FINDINGS: Analysis revealed three themes: Deliberately developing personal leadership capacity, Building bench strength through team investment, and Balancing people and systems to achieve the mission. DISCUSSION: Leader development in the military afforded participants the necessary skills to advance the profession of nursing and nursing education in multiple ways that span individual, group/team, and organizational impact. Transferability and application of these skills to civilian settings may enhance leader development in nurses without military service.

A research internship scheme for nurses and its wider implications for clinical managers.

There is growing evidence that clinical research activity is linked to better patient outcomes and that staff involvement in research is linked to enhanced morale and retention. Clinical managers have a pivotal role in supporting staff to engage with research, but they are not always given the means to do so and are not always aware of the benefits. In 2021 a research internship scheme was set up as a collaboration between two London NHS trusts and a university, enabling nurses and midwives to undergo training and undertake a range of research activities. Some participants experienced challenges in fitting internship activities around clinical duties despite the fact that the scheme was planned to give them protected time. This article describes the scheme, reports the findings of its evaluation at one of the two trusts, and discusses its implications for clinical managers in terms of how they can be supported to contribute to the development of a research culture.

Nurse managers' perceptions of the prospective acceptability of an implementation leadership training programme: A qualitative descriptive study.

AIM: To explore the prospective acceptability of an implementation leadership training programme prototype for nurse managers in China to implement evidence-based practices, from the perspectives of potential programme participants and deliverers. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in Spring 2022 at three tertiary hospitals in Hunan, China. METHODS: We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with unit-level nurse managers (n = 14), including 12 potential participants, and two potential deliverers that have been involved in developing the programme prototype. Interview questions and thematic analysis were guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. RESULTS: After reviewing the programme content, potential participants and deliverers reported that unit nurse managers would benefit from engaging in the programme, acknowledging that the programme fit with professional nursing values for implementing research evidence. They expressed positive views about being involved in producing academic papers through the training process, and interactive multi-modal training activities such as group work, experience-sharing and coaching. Seven participants were not very confident about being fully engaged in the training, as they could not navigate the English research literature. Both participants and deliverers highlighted factors that would influence their participation, including time constraints, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and support from senior organizational leadership. CONCLUSIONS: The training programme prototype was perceived to be useful and acceptable. The multimodal training activities were considered a strength and managers expressed an interest in writing academic papers about their implementation processes. Support from senior hospital leaders and programme deliverers was identified as critical to the training programme's success. IMPACT: The study helps understand nurse managers' perceptions and concerns of participating in an implementation leadership training programme and could inform the development and refinement of similar programmes in various nursing contexts globally.

Recommendations From a Systematic Review of Leadership Development to Support a New Nursing Practice Model.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new nursing practice model for use within the US military, researchers aimed to create evidence-based recommendations for nursing leadership development based on current literature. BACKGROUND: The role of nursing leadership has many implications, including better nurse and patient outcomes. Therefore, an actionable compilation of recommendations informing how to develop effective nurse leaders could be helpful for current and aspiring nurse leaders. METHODS: Researchers conducted a systematic literature review of 5 databases searching for relevant articles published from 2001 to 2020. RESULTS: Seventy-eight articles were synthesized to develop a list of 5 broad yet actionable recommendations for leadership development. CONCLUSIONS: Leadership development is essential for current and future nurse leaders. The recommendations identified from this review can assist in developing leaders. Leaders can use these recommendations to guide leadership training initiatives, engage in self-development, or begin succession planning.

A mixed-methods systematic review of interventions to improve leadership competencies of managers supervising nurses.

AIM: This study aimed to synthesize evidence on interventions to improve leadership competencies of managers supervising nurses. BACKGROUND: In recent years, numerous interventions have been developed to improve the leadership competencies of managers supervising nurses. However, researchers and nursing leaders are unclear about what aspects of interventions are effective for developing which competencies. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods systematic review following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) approach for evidence synthesis. The Medline (Ovid), CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, Nursing and Allied Health Database were reviewed. Data extraction, quality appraisal and narrative synthesis were conducted in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 69 studies (35 quantitative, 22 mixed methods, 12 qualitative) evaluating 68 interventions were included. Studies showed that interventions used modal activities such as lectures, group work and mentoring that generally had positive effects on improving leadership competencies such as supporting, developing and recognizing nurses. Opportunities to interact with peers increased managers' engagement in the interventions; however, many barriers existed for managers to use the competencies in practice including understaffing, insufficient time and lack of support from supervisors and staff. CONCLUSIONS: Leadership interventions were shown to have beneficial effects on developing different competencies. Managers predominately felt positive about participating in leadership interventions; however, they expressed many difficulties applying what they learned in practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Leadership interventions should include multimodal activities that give managers opportunities for interaction. When considering interventions for developing the leadership of managers, it is imperative to consider the practice environments for managers to be successful in applying the competencies they learned in practice.

Factors facilitating or inhibiting the capacity for effective leadership among front-line nurse managers: A scoping review.

AIMS: The purpose of this scoping review is to map and synthesize research studies addressing the factors that impact leadership behaviours of front-line nurse managers. BACKGROUND: Leadership is a fundamental component of the role of front-line nurse managers. Ineffective leadership is associated with costly outcomes; thus, organizations seek effective strategies to facilitate consistent demonstration of leadership behaviours. EVALUATION: Using a scoping review methodology, findings from 26 empirical studies were mapped to identify barriers and facilitators of leadership among front-line nurse managers. Major categories included personal and environmental factors with subthemes of personal characteristics, competencies and social support. KEY ISSUES: Available evidence captures the influence of personal characteristics, education, competency and formal social support on leadership capacity. The role of informal social support was not captured. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple personal and environmental factors influence the capacity for leadership behaviours among front-line nurse managers. Strategies such as leadership development programmes, mentorship and peer support programmes, and work environments that support relational and structural support may increase leadership capacity for front-line nurse managers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Senior nurse leaders can use the results of this review to guide implementation of evidence-based strategies to recruit and retain front-line nurse managers.

Effects of a learning programme for nurse managers to connect their experience: A quasi-experimental study.

AIM: The present study aimed to examine the effects of a learning programme for nurse managers on connecting learning with their own experiences and fostering competence. BACKGROUND: In Japan, second-level programmes for certified nurse administrators represent the main opportunity for formal training for nurse managers. However, it is difficult for nurse managers to transfer second-level programme learning to their workplace. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study used a two-group pretest-posttest design with purposive sampling and non-random assignment of 29 consenting Japanese nurse managers who were participating in a second-level programme through a prefectural nursing association. The programme provided reflection papers and feedback from a researcher, as well as reflective group sessions. The outcome measure was the Japanese First-Line Nurse Managers Competence Inventory (JNMCI) score. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significant improvement in JNMCI scores after participating in the programme. A significant difference in JNMCI scores was also observed between the intervention and comparison groups. CONCLUSION: This learning programme led to improved competency among nurse managers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse manager development programmes should include reflection papers and feedback, as well as reflective group sessions, to improve competency among nurse managers.

Clinical Leader Series: A Virtual Mental Well-being Initiative for Nurse Leaders During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

OBJECTIVE: A virtual mental well-being initiative was developed for nurse leaders to provide education about mental health and to teach self-care skills. BACKGROUND: Because of substantial demand placed on nurse leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations must address stress and burnout by providing a continuum of care to include education, support, and intervention. METHODS: All levels of nurse leaders at a multicampus healthcare system were invited to attend. Data were collected on coping, empowerment, burnout, and quality of life. Participant responses to discussion prompts were compiled and reviewed. RESULTS: Although the independent parallel comparison did not show significant improvements, scores on the coping, empowerment, burnout, and quality-of-life measures were maintained. Discussion prompts yielded valuable insights into nurse leader experiences and session effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: This type of education, as well as psychological support, will continue to be needed after the pandemic due to burnout, moral injury, and primary or secondary trauma. Findings are applicable to future crisis situations.

Leadership competencies of first-line nurse managers: a quantitative study.

PURPOSE: This paper aims to examine the leadership competencies of first-line nurse managers (FLNMs) at the unit level in the eastern region of Ghana. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper is a quantitative cross-section design. FINDINGS: Nurse managers exhibited a moderate level of knowledge and ability to apply leadership competencies. Gender, rank, qualification, professional experience, management experience and management training jointly predicted the leadership competencies of FLNMs [(R2 = 0.158, p = 0.016]. However, only management training was a significant predictor in the model. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Inappropriate leadership competencies have severe consequences for patients and staff outcomes. This situation necessitates a call for a well-structured program for the appointment of FLNMs based on competencies. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study is the first in Ghana which we are aware of that examined the leadership competencies at the unit level that identifies predictors of leadership competencies.

Are Impaired Nurses Getting the Help They Need?

Alternative-to-discipline programs can facilitate a safe return to practice.

Impact of Evidence-Based Charge Nurse Education on Charge Nurse Skills and Nurse-Specific Metrics.

OBJECTIVE: This research study was designed to analyze the impact of an evidence-based charge nurse (CN) education program on novice and experienced CNs' self-confidence and satisfaction with the role, skill competencies, and nursing metrics. BACKGROUND: Charge nurses are critical to effective daily unit operations. However, executive nursing leadership found that unit performance varied by CN despite experience. METHODS: University faculty partnering with nurse leaders developed an evidence-based CN education program including a series of classes, coaching in skills and role responsibilities by nurse leaders, and evaluation of skills competencies before and after the CN education program. RESULTS: The CN program was associated with significant positive changes in CN performance, nurse-specific metrics, hospital-acquired events, and patient satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions targeting frontline leaders positively impact CN performance.

Data-Based Self-awareness as the Foundation for Effective Leadership.

The AONL Nurse Executive Fellowship supports nurses who are new to an executive role in developing critical executive competencies. Participants engage in an in-depth specialized assessment process to help them understand themselves and the impact on their leadership. Learnings from the 1st 2 cohorts of fellowship participants provide insight into challenges faced by new executives and how self-awareness can improve performance to address those challenges.

Identifying and treating sepsis in older people: a quality improvement project in hospitals and nursing homes in Texas.

Sepsis, if not identified and treated early, can be fatal, particularly in older people. A lack of knowledge and understanding of sepsis among nursing staff can result in a missed or delayed diagnosis, leading to delayed treatment and potentially to patient death. A quality improvement project was conducted in nine hospitals and 200 nursing homes in the Lower and Upper Rio Grande Valley regions of Texas, in the US, to improve the identification and treatment of sepsis by nursing staff. Interventions included educational webinars for hospital staff and train-the-trainer sessions for nurse leaders in nursing homes. All participating hospitals had implemented a sepsis screening tool and sepsis care bundles by the end of the project, and an overall decline in sepsis mortality rates was seen in these hospitals. Among participating nurse leaders in nursing homes, a dramatic improvement in sepsis knowledge was seen. The outcomes of the project support the use of comprehensive nursing staff education on sepsis identification and treatment. Sepsis education needs to be ongoing to maintain optimal levels of knowledge among nursing staff.