Nursing Leadership and Identity

Due to an initiative of the Medical Centre Leeuwarden nursing leadership and nursing identity are focus themes of a new research group which started in February 2018 at NHL Stenden. The group of researchers is being formed at the moment. The research program’s aim is to empower and enhance leadership and professionalism of nurses throughout nursing care during integrated patient’s pathways. Also the development of nursing research programs in order to support evidence based nursing care is an issue of importance.

Research will focus on bachelor nurses as well as on nurses with vocational and other educational backgrounds, but will seek for a clear distinction in what specific groups of nurses need in their professional development. The main concepts leadership and identity will need to be developed and operationalized further within the program in the next coming years. For now leadership is being understood as proactive nursing behavior while the concept of nursing identity contains aspects such as compassion, advocacy and nursing agency.