Does policy resonate with literature?
Leadership capabilities do not stand out within
the National Competency Standards for the
Registered Nurse (Australian Nursing Midwifery
Council, 2006) with nurses leading and coordinating
care being the sole leadership item.
However, the Australian Nursing Midwifery
Council (ANMC) standards for nurse practitioners
are far more exacting, suggestive in contrast
to Paterson et al. (2010), that leadership within
nursing contexts is an advanced rather than a base
capability or role (Australian Nursing Midwifery
Council, 2006). Standard 3 of the ANMC standards
for nurse practitioners powerfully connects
nurse leadership to infl uencing systems of delivery,
research and teaching as well as assuming
responsibility and being multi-dimensional. Such
divergences are possibly symptomatic of a lack
of a cohesive body to drive leadership agendas
within Australian nursing contexts.
An interesting comparison exists when contrasting
the emphasis being placed upon nurses
as leaders across the countries in the UK and in
Australia. Pre-registration standards from the
Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) seek that the
graduate nurse can not only lead themselves as well
as others, but also that the graduate nurse infl uences
services and develops their leadership capabilities
over time (Nursing Midwifery Council,
2010). Additionally, distinctive educational programs
and a raft of policies directly address leadership
within nursing contexts (NHS Scotland,
2009; Royal College of Nursing, 2008, 2009).