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‘I'm actually being the grown‐up now’: leadership, maturity and professional identity development
Author(s) -
Miskelly Philippa,
Duncan Lindsay
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/jonm.12030
Subject(s) - transformational leadership , identity (music) , leadership development , professional development , nursing , maturity (psychological) , leadership style , medical education , psychology , medicine , public relations , political science , developmental psychology , physics , acoustics
Aim This study reports on an evaluation of an in‐house nursing and midwifery leadership programme within a N ew Z ealand D istrict Health Board aimed at improving leadership capacity within clinical environments. Background The programme associated with this study is based on P ractice D evelopment concepts which aim to improve patient care and service delivery as well as empower practitioners to foster and support a transformational culture. Methods Mixed methods were used. Results Evidence indicated participants' self‐confidence improved leading to a ‘growing up’. This was demonstrated in a number of ways: taking more responsibility for individual clinical practice, undertaking quality and safety roles as well as postgraduate study. These findings can be constructed in terms of linking leadership training with the development of professional identity. Conclusions This study provides evidence that in‐house leadership programmes can provide front‐line nurses and midwives with opportunities to enhance their professional identity and expand their skills in a variety of ways. Implications for nursing management Organisational investment in in‐house programmes aimed at leadership skills have the potential to enhance patient care as well as improve the work environment for nurses and midwives. However, in‐house programmes should be considered as augmenting rather than replacing tertiary education institutions' leadership courses and qualifications.