A NURSING LEADERSHIP CORE COMPETENCY

Advocacy is the act of supporting or defending a cause. Recognized as a core competency for nurses by the American Nurses Association through the Code of Ethics 1, the recipients of advocacy may be patients, families, communities, the nursing profession, and our colleagues and team members.

By virtue of the trust they engender, nurse leaders have the knowledge, experience, and education to advocate for and influence the health of the communities they serve. Nurses in leadership perform a strategic role in addressing health disparities in local and global communities. Nursing is redefining primary care by applying the same attributes so successfully in driving patient outcomes in the acute setting into the wider arena. This includes patient and family education, care transition, and being a connector to services in settings outside the walls of the hospital.

In this issue, advocacy is addressed from a variety of perspectives. For example, Tim Porter O'Grady tells a story about community care in Atlanta. Other authors address social determinants of health and specific vulnerable populations in our care in a variety of health care settings.

Within our organizations, advocacy in nursing leadership suggests active partnerships between the leader and the caregiver and a relationship that drives positive patient outcomes. Leadership models that promote advocacy for emerging leaders enable the leader to develop the capabilities of authenticity, interprofessional relationships, the ability to develop resilience, caring presence, and perhaps above all, continually embrace change. Today, our leaders take on a dual role of advocating for their staff in these times of needing to do more in a compressed time frame while also advocating for the patient whose needs often surpass the capabilities and capacity of the acute setting. In this issue, authors address challenges within the practice setting that affect nurse leaders and caregivers, thus targeting interventions as a way to strengthen resilience and courage. For example, authors from Finland attempt to address staff member perception of nurse manager competency by targeting specific areas for professional development. In addition, authors write recommendations for improving the practice experience of nurses as a way to improve quality and safety of patient care.

Advocacy is complex with many recipients, all of which are supported by the actions of courageous nurses and nurse leaders. We hope you enjoy the depth and breadth of the articles focused on this important competency.

-Mary O'Connor, PhD, RN, FACHE

Associate Professor

Nursing

Notre Dame of Maryland University

Baltimore, Maryland

-Kelly Espinoza, PhD, RN

Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer

Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center

Vancouver, Washington

REFERENCE