Self-leadership strategies and psychosocial outcomes among advanced nurse practitioners in Ireland

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Advanced Nurse Practitioners’ Self-Leadership and Commitment to the Workplace, Work Engagement, Influence at Work, Job Satisfaction, and Intention to Leave Background: The concept of self-leadership is particularly suited to ANPs who are required to take responsibility for their own work roles. An optimum balance between the ANPs’ psychosocial work environment and self-leadership may positively impact work ability in this group and can be compromised by interactions between and among these variables. Design A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted from July 2020 to August 2020 on a sample of 153 ANPs across one national health service. Methods Between July and August 2020, the survey was distributed online by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Irish Association of Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners (IAANMP). The revised self-leadership questionnaire was used to measures self-leadership; three scales from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire was used to measure commitment to the workplace, work engagement and influence at work; single-item measures were used to measure job satisfaction and intention to leave. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the associations of self-leadership and the psychosocial variables. Results ANPs with high levels of self-leadership also reported high levels of work engagement (B = 0.17, 95% CI [.011. 0.22], p <0.001). Significant relationships between levels of self-leadership and commitment to the workplace (r = .495, p <.01, n = 153) and intention to leave were also found. The relationships between self-leadership and influence at work and job satisfaction were, however, not statistically significant. Conclusion Improving self-leadership among ANPs by involving them in strategic leadership activities at an organisational level could be an effective strategy for optimising the role and facilitating ANPs to contribute at an organisational level beyond the clinical interface. However, organisational support and role flexibility are required to ensure ANPs practice to the full potential of their training and capability