Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

Purpose & Scope

Purpose:

This guideline is intended to assist nurses and others performing both formal and informal nursing leadership roles

This best practice guideline has been developed for nurses in a variety of roles, domains of practice and practice settings. It identifies and describes:

  • leadership practices that result in healthy outcomes for patients/clients, organizations and systems;
  • system resources that support effective leadership practices;
  • organizational culture, values and resources that support effective leadership practices;
  • personal resources that support effective leadership practices; and
  • anticipated outcomes of effective nursing leadership.

Scope:

This guideline addresses:

  • knowledge, competencies and behaviour of effective leaders, in both formal and informal nursing leadership roles;
  • educational requirements and strategies that can be used by formal and informal nursing leaders;
  • policy changes at both the organizational and system levels needed to support and sustain leadership practices, including those at the point-of-care;
  • implementation strategies and tools;
  • evaluation criteria and tools; and
  • future research opportunities.

Target Audience:

The guideline is relevant to nurses in:

  • all roles including point-of-care nurses, administrators, educators, researchers and those engaged in policy work, and also to nursing students;
  • all domains of nursing (clinical practice, administration, education, research and policy); and
  • all practice settings.

 

The guideline will also be helpful for:

  • inter-professional team members;
  • non-nursing administrators at the unit, organizational and system level;
  • policy makers and governments;
  • professional organizations, employers and labour groups; and
  • federal, provincial and territorial standard-setting bodies.
Healthy Work Environment
Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership - 2nd Edition
Background Information