Registered Nurses’ Self-Assessment of Their Clinical Leadership Knowledge and Competence

Abstract

Clinical nurses play an important role in the healthcare team. The practice question for this Doctor of Nursing Practice project explored the perceptions of RNs about their clinical leadership knowledge and competencies at a 160-bed rehabilitation hospital in a metropolitan city in the southeast United States. Thirty RNs completed the following three surveys: an 8-question clinical leadership knowledge assessment, a 17-question leadership competency assessment, and a 6-question emotional intelligence self-assessment. Fifty percent or more of clinical nurses believed that they were knowledgeable in identified components of clinical leadership. The leadership competency skills assessment revealed a wide range: from 3–6% of participants who indicated that they were not at all competent to 33–57% of participants who indicated that they felt very competent. Seventy-six percent of the participants felt positive about their emotional intelligence abilities. Recommendations to nursing leadership included workshops for clinical staff RNs on the various components of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses’ model of clinical leadership: clinical practice, environment practice, emotional intelligence, and leadership competencies.