Determination of Essential
Knowledge and Skills
In recognition of the need for
clinical leadership at the point of
service, the Academy of MedicalSurgical
Nurses (AMSN) assembled a
task force of clinical and leadership
experts to develop a curriculum for
leadership development for medical-surgical
nurses at the point of
service. This task force reviewed the
literature and the IOM reports,
obtained input from nurse experts
and leaders, and evaluated research
findings from AMSN’s Nurses
Nurturing Nurses program. Following
a series of discussions, the content
was rank-ordered to determine
essential knowledge base and skills
for clinical leaders. The curriculum
information was compiled into
eight categories, each containing
two topics. Ten of the topics were
designated as basic knowledge for