Air Force Executive Nurse Leaders: Expanding Nursing Leadership During 1995-1999

Abstract

Many great nurse leaders were pivotal in moving the nursing profession forward, but their efforts have not been recorded in history. Examining recorded history provides an opportunity to learn from our past, understand the impact of the past on current practice, and better plan to advance quality practice in the future. This article describes a study that explored the contributions to the nursing profession by the United States Air Force Executive Nurse Leadership initiative on the nursing profession between 1995 and 1999 in the context of the career of Brigadier General Linda J. Stierle. The article describes the research methods, including the oral history process. Discussion of the findings describe both her impact as an Air Force Executive Nurse Leader who significantly contributed to expanding opportunities for military nurses to lead interdisciplinary teams, command medical treatment facilities, advance medical readiness and nursing practice, and grow nursing as a science. Her influence continues today and the conclusion discusses implications for current nurses.