Elaine S. Scott

Peer-to-peer mentoring: teaching collegiality.

Developing undergraduate educational initiatives that employ mentoring and encourage collegiality will assist novice nurses in seeking these relationships when they enter practice. The author describes a peer-to-peer mentoring program that used electronic mentoring to link junior and senior nursing students. Structure, process, and outcome elements of the program are discussed.

Group mentoring: a transition-to-work strategy.

Current financial constraints and workplace staffing shortages challenge the viability of using one-on-one mentoring models to support new graduate nurses. This article describes an innovative strategy for mentoring a large cohort of new nurses. Using a Group Mentoring Team, education specialists in a small rural hospital implemented a cost-effective program to help new nurses gain confidence and competence in the first year of nursing practice.

Perspectives on healthcare leader and leadership development

correspondence: elaine S Scott 7704 8th Avenue, Sneads Ferry, Nc 28470 USA Tel +1 910 328 2851 (home); +1 252 744 6383 (office) email scottel@ecu.edu Abstract: Healthcare delivery systems are complex entities that must merge the best of administrative and clinical practices into a new model of leadership. But, despite growing recognition that healthcare organizational leaders must partner with clinical leaders to address patient safety, evidence based practice, financial sustainability, and capacity, tensions between the groups remain. Healthcare is based in large, bureaucratic entities organized in administrative hierarchies with clinical or product line silos that thwart collaboration, limit inter-disciplinary engagement, and foster mistrust. Around the world healthcare accessibility, fragmentation and affordability issues challenge healthcare systems whether they are centralized, socialized systems or free market private and public enterprises. In response to these concerns, healthcare organizations are struggling to address the ‘how’ of integrating clinician competence in patient management with the financial imperatives of modern day delivery systems. To redesign healthcare services for effectiveness and efficiency and to improve patient safety and outcomes, organizations must redefine leadership using new paradigms that promote the development and diffusion of improvements and innovations. Current research evidence shows that there is a need for not just formal administrative leadership, but also a need to develop integrated leadership processes throughout healthcare delivery systems. Shared leadership concepts framed in the context of complexity leadership theory (CLT) provides a vehicle for rethinking old definitions of leadership and for mobilizing the collective energy of healthcare organizations.

Expanding leadership capacity: educational levels for nurse leaders.

A masters degree in nursing administration prepares the nurse to lead nursing and interprofessional teams, to create new and innovative approaches to improve care processes and outcomes, as well as traditional management responsibilities related to budgets, human resources, quality and safety, and a healthy work environment. Are we not at a critical juncture in our profession when we should challenge the profession to require a masters degree education for all levels of nursing administration?

Increasing the intensity of nursing leadership: graduate preparation for nurse leaders.

The numbers of nurses holding formal leadership and management positions without baccalaureate preparation are disheartening. The 2008 National Sample Survey reported that approximately one-half of nurses in manager and above positions hold less than a bachelors degree. The formal preparation of nurse leaders is critical for continued progress in advancing patient safety and quality as well as promoting innovative models of care delivery. Helping nurses in leadership positions, especially where the expectation does not already exist to have such educational preparation, is a challenge that the profession must address.

Crossing our quality chasm: heeding the case for graduate preparation of nurse managers and leaders.

As outlined by the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing, it is expected that nurses in direct care will be baccalaureate prepared. What then should be the expectation for educating nurse managers? This article compares the Baccalaureate Essentials with the American Nurses Credentialing Center and American Organization of Nurse Executives certification examination content for nurse managers to evaluate if baccalaureate education prepares these leaders for management roles in order to provide additional support for graduate education of nurse managers.

Nursing administration graduate programs in the United States.

Providing nursing administrators with excellent educational programming is imperative for the profession. The author analyzes trends in nursing administration education in the United States and how they compare with standards and future recommendations for graduate curricula. The degrees conferred, curricula, hours of study, and educational modalities are examined in 57 masters degrees in nursing programs with concentrations in administration.

Nursing Administration Research Priorities: Findings From a Delphi Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the priorities for nursing administration research (NAR) in the United States. BACKGROUND: Previously known as the Council of Graduate Educators in Administrative Nursing, CGEAN provides an avenue for researchers and educators focused on NAR to partner, dialogue, obtain funding resources, and present their findings at a biennial International Nursing Administration Research Conference (INARC). In late 2013, with a goal of building consensus, CGEAN convened an INARC postconference to initiate the process of establishing critical NAR priorities for the future. METHODS: Data from a 3-staged Delphi study were used to identify relevant research topics and determine administrative research priorities. RESULTS: Eight final categories of NAR were determined. CONCLUSIONS: This study found economic valuing of nursing and designing effective future healthcare delivery systems to be high priorities for NAR.

Nurse practitioner perceptions of the impact of physician oversight on quality and safety of nurse practitioner practice

PURPOSE Nurse practitioner (NP) regulation and physician oversight (PO) of NP practice are inextricably intertwined. A flexible, well-prepared workforce is needed to meet consumer healthcare needs. All outcome studies have revealed that NPs provide safe, effective, quality care with outcomes equal to or better than that of physicians or physician assistants. Variability in state regulation of NP practice limits the full deployment of these proven healthcare providers, threatens the quality and safety of NP-delivered care, and limits consumer choice in healthcare access. The purpose of this study was to document NP perceptions of the impact of PO on the safety and quality of NP practice. DATA SOURCES A total of 1139 NP respondents completed an exploratory survey, Impact of Regulatory Requirements for Physician Oversight on Nurse Practitioner Practice. Participants were asked their perceptions of the impact of PO on patient care and NP practice. Descriptive statistics on the state of residence regulatory requirements and personal demographics were also collected. CONCLUSIONS NP perceptions of the impact of PO on the safety and quality of NP practice were predicted by NP experience and state regulatory environment ranking. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The results of this study have implications for educators, policy makers, and nursing advocacy groups seeking to increase access to care in U.S. POPULATIONS Study participants perceived that requirements for PO impacted their practice and may jeopardize patient safety. An understanding of the impact of influences on regulatory processes is critical to ensuring full deployment of NPs as interprofessional leaders to meet current and future healthcare access.

Challenges in caring for morbidly obese patients.

This study aimed to determine how morbidly obese patients and their families manage activities of daily living (ADLs) at home. A survey design was used for this descriptive study. Home healthcare professionals identified both challenges and innovations in managing the ADLs of the morbidly obese in the home.