Enhancing Nurse Leadership Capacity in Resource-Limited Countries

Abstract

Background: Nurse leaders are essential contributors to global health and health care delivery systems. Developing and strengthening nurse leader capacity enhances quality care and improves patient outcomes so no one is left behind. Low workforce capacity leads to poor health outcomes for patients. Collaborations between institutions have been shown to strengthen nurse capacity in resource-limited countries and supplement the brain drain phenomenon. This discursive paper aims to share lessons learned from implementing a graduate nursing program to develop leadership capacity in a resourcelimited country and to discuss strategies to enhance partnerships, influence health policies, and improve global health care. Materials and Method: Develop nurse leadership capacity through a graduate nursing program. Results: To date, 51 students have been enrolled and 16 have successfully completed the master’s program with thesis. Most of the graduates now hold top management positions ranging from middle to senior management. These nurse leaders are in charge of operations and management, programming and policy implementation. Contributions of the program is demonstrated in changes in leadership capacity exemplified in marked infrastructural and process changes in the National Association of Gambian Nurses through increased nurse involvement at the Ministry of Health level, and enthusiasm and commitment to quality care for patients. Conclusions: Efforts to strengthen nurse leadership capacity through collaborations between developed and developing countries are essential to improve nurse leadership capacity, increase health policy engagement, and workforce retention. Workforce improvement and quality nursing services through these collaborations will strengthen nurse leadership and propagate positive health outcomes for patients as well as contribute to solving the brain drain in resource-limited countries.