An Assistant Nurse Manager Leadership Laboratory Program and its Effect on Nursing Outcomes

Aim: This paper summarizes the project development, implementation and outcomes of an Assistant Nurse Manager leadership laboratory program and elements involved in the coursework. Through lecture, simulation, and mentoring components, noted change in leadership ability of novice/advanced beginner Assistant Nurse Managers were assessed over a six-month period and monitored the effects on quality and financial metrics, as well as the self-confidence of the Assistant Nurse Managers. Evaluation conducted included both quantitative and qualitative outcome assessment. Background: The literature shows that quality leadership produces quality nursing outcomes (Houser, 2003). Leadership style (Wong & Cummings, 2007), communication skills (Vogus & Sutcliffe, 2011), and span of control (Sperling, 2012) are primary leadership aspects that influence these outcomes. The organization went through an extraordinary leadership change allowing the opportunity for new Assistant Nurse Manager positions. This created the need to train these new leaders. Methods: For the purpose of this evidenced-based project, a leadership laboratory was created, providing both lecture, reflection, simulation, and mentoring opportunities for the Assistant Nurse Managers. Results: Improvement was noted in six of eight quantitative metric indicators. Personal confidence and leadership competency noted an improvement, using qualitative measurements. Conclusion: Through this project, tangible evidence reflected that good leadership makes a difference regarding quality of care. Keywords: nursing, span of control, direct reports, leader, leadership, theory, style, transformational, quality, outcomes, metrics and communication