If nurses are to make an impact on the advancement
of patient care and the promotion
of patient safety, then leadership must be considered
an integral dimension of nursing education
across the continuum.
Second, a comprehensive conceptual
framework for lifelong leadership development
of nurses needs to be designed. This
framework should allow for baseline leadership
capacity building in all nurses and advanced
leadership development for those in
formal administrative and advanced practice
roles. Defining what leadership knowledge
and skills are essential for nurses across the
educational continuum is a critical priority
for nursing.9 The knowledge and skill requirements
for quality improvement and patient
safety have been explored and recommendations
made for Quality and Safety Education
for Nurses, but parallel work needs to be
done to outline educational content, objectives,
and effective pedagogy for advancing
leadership development in nursing students
at all levels