This resource is intended to help nurses perform in both formal and informal nursing leadership roles. From the point-of-care to the board room, this BPG identifies leadership behaviour that nurses can implement individually and collectively to benefit patients, health-care team members, and health care organizations.
This resource is intended to help nurses perform in both formal and informal nursing leadership roles. From the point-of-care to the board room, this BPG identifies leadership behaviour that nurses can implement individually and collectively to benefit patients, health-care team members, and health care organizations.
As an introduction, we’ve provided summaries of the practice recommendations from the BPG document — but we strongly encourage downloading RNAO’s official PDF.
Nurse leaders use transformational leadership practices to create and sustain healthy work environments.
Nurse leaders build relationships and trust.
Nurse leaders create or contribute to an empowering work environment.
Nurse leaders create an environment that supports knowledge integration.
Nurse leaders lead, support and sustain change.
Nurse leaders balance the complexities of the system, identifying and managing competing values and priorities.
Nurse leaders continually develop their personal resources for effective leadership.
Nurse leaders exhibit a strong professional identity.
Nurse leaders reflect on and take responsibility for the growth and development of their own leadership expertise.
Nurse leaders act as coaches and mentors to develop leadership expertise in themselves and others.
Nurse leaders cultivate professional and personal social supports.
Educational programs provide formal and informal opportunities for leadership development for nurses.
Nursing leadership programs incorporate evidence-informed models and theories.
Nursing leadership programs offered through undergraduate, graduate and continuing education include formal and informal opportunities for leadership experience.
Health-service organizations provide supports for effective nursing leadership.
Health-service organizations demonstrate respect for nurses as professionals and their contribution to care.
Health-service organizations respect nurses as individuals.
Health-service organizations plan and provide opportunities for growth, advancement and leadership development.
Health-service organizations support empowerment, enabling nurses to be responsible and accountable for their professional practice.
Health-service organizations provide timely access to information, decision-support systems and the resources necessary for care.
Health-service organizations promote and support teams, collaborations and partnerships.
Health-service organizations support leaders to assist and facilitate change.
Health-service organizations give managers spans of control that enable effective nursing leadership.
Health-service organizations invest in training and succession planning to develop future leaders.
Recommendations for Governments.
Governments in all provinces and territories establish a senior nurse leader as a policy advisor.
Governments establish national communication among those advisors.
Governments in all provinces and territories establish a nursing advisory council.
Governments establish, fund and maintain programs for developing nursing leaders.
Governments establish, fund and maintain programs of nursing leadership research.
Researchers study the impact of nursing leadership on nurse, patient/client, organizations and systems.
Researchers develop, implement and evaluate a leadership intervention based on the Conceptual Model for Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership.
Researchers conduct research on health human resources planning for nursing leadership roles.
Researchers conduct research on nursing leadership education and development.
The above recommendations are incorporated into health service and educational accreditation standards.
This website was developed by a team of researchers at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson University). The purpose of the site is to provide supplementary resources for implementing RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines. Some information about the best practice guidelines has been collected directly from the RNAO BPG website. We have done our best to ensure accuracy, however some discrepancies may occur. For official, up-to-date information about the best practice guidelines, please refer to the RNAO website.
