Keratiloe N Gwebu
Rusangu University, Zambia
Title: The impact of a course in leadership and management on student nurses’ perceived leadership skills
Biography
Biography: Keratiloe N Gwebu
Abstract
Problem of Statement: The challenges faced by the nursing profession require effective leadership skills. There is a gap between nursing education and practice. Leadership education must be an integral component of the nursing curriculum for nurses to lead the health care industry effectively. However, for most nursing schools, leadership is taught as a single course in the senior year. The concern is whether this one semester course improves students leadership skills needed for excellent performance in practice.
Purpose of Study: To determine the impact of a three-hour-credit semester course in leadership and management, on senior student nurses’ self-perceived transformational leadership skills?
Method and Theoretical Orientation: The study assessedself-reported transformational leadership skills of student nurses enrolled in a three-hour-credit course in leadership and management using the student version of Kouzes and Posner's Transformational Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) instrument based on Kouzes and Posner's leadership model, as outlined in given figure
Findings: The results were mixed implying that the course may not have covered certain aspects of the Kouzes and Posner Transformational Leadership Practices Model.
Conclusion & Significance: The leadership and management course positively impacted the transformational leadership skills of the students how are it moderately demonstrating some deficiencies in the course.
Recommendations: Each nursing program should implement a prospective study to monitor the progress in the inculcation of transformational leadership skills at every level with final assessment in the senior year to ensure that tenets of all the five practices of Kouzes and Posner are covered adequately in the curriculum at every level.