Professional Identity and Leadership
The concept of ‘professionalism in nursing’ has evolved over the past several years to mirror conceptual work done in other healthcare disciplines, such as physical and occupational therapy, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and in the STEM fields (Godfrey, 2022). Professional identity in nursing has been identified within four professional nursing domains: (a) value and ethics, (b) knowledge, (c) nurse leadership, and (d) professional comportment (Godfrey, 2022).
The concept of leadership in nursing has transitioned in the literature to defining what it is to be a ‘nurse leader’. In 2021, the Texas Organization of Nursing Leadership (TONL), began the strategic process of revising the definition of “nurse leader” to “offer a simple strategy for nurses to describe their essential role in diverse practice settings… and as an avenue to inspire nurse leaders in the future” (Cline et al., 2022, p. 381). Based on “the foundational consensus that all nurses are leaders” (Cline et al., 2022, p. 382), the definition of ‘nurse leader’ should be relevant for all nurses across the range of academic programs, attained nursing degrees, areas of nursing specialty, professional organization affiliation, practice experience and nursing expertise. Common terminology for the definition of nurse leader was identified both from literature and professional nursing organizations, such as The Essentials (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2021) and nurse leader competencies (American Organization of Nursing Leadership [AONL], 2015).
The TONL final definition of “nurse leader” was approved in February 2021:
“When you say ‘nurse,’ leader is clearly implied. As the face of health care, nurses are trusted professionals who provide impassioned care in diverse practice settings. Nurses lead with integrity, compassion, and humility. They are grounded in empathetic action and a commitment to human dignity. Using evidence and critical thinking, they inspire and create innovations that improve the health of patients and communities. As full health care partners, working with and through others, they advocate for a global culture of wellness. Nurses are courageous leaders—not because they’re fearless—but because they rise to every health care challenge” (Cline et al., 2022, p. 383).
This inclusive, global definition of “nurse leader” represents the vision of the Boise State University School of Nursing, where faculty in all our programs strive to be leaders in professional mentorship, practice expertise, and sound pedagogy. Our students are educated to be the nurse leaders of the future. Those in BSU nursing programs, already representing all levels of nurse leadership, are given the knowledge, skills, and experiences to take the next steps in their nurse leader trajectory, to “innovate, transform, and achieve quality outcomes for patients, health care professionals, organizations, and communities” (Cline et al., 2022, p. 383).
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). AACN Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.
American Organization of Nursing Leadership. (2015). AONL Nurse Manager Competencies. https://www.aonl.org/system/files/media/file/2019/06/nurse-manager-competencies.pdf
Cline, D., Crenshaw, J., Woods, S. (2022). Nurse leader: A definition for the 21st Century. Nurse Leader, 20(4), 381-384.
Godfrey, N. (2022). New language for the journey: Embracing a professional identity of nursing. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 41(1), 15-17.