TheNE leader is important to clinical care delivery in
contemporary healthcare organizations and to the
educational preparation of new and specialty nurses
in academia. They are important to the retention of
nurses and nurse faculty. These nurse leaders face a
multitude of challenges. They initiate and sustain organizational
change and are increasingly responsible
for the success of improvements. Nurses comprise the
majority of theworkforce in healthcare organizations,
and their involvement is critical in all aspects. Indeed,
the leadership excellence and competency of executive
nurse leaders have been denoted as one of themost
important influences on organizational culture, care
delivery, and the work environment for nurses.6,16,17
Regular assessment and attention to the development
needs of these leaders seem essential at the professional
association, health system, organization, and individual
levels. The opportunity to provide educational programs for experienced executives based on topics
of importance to their professional development and
success in their roles is a human capital investment
with far-reaching potential returns and should not be
overlooked