Within the past 12 months, I have had many occasions to think about and to speak about leadership in nursing, where we are and where we want to be. I have read the various leadership books - each day there seems to be a new book, telling us how to be better leaders and how to instill leadership in others. So, in preparing this editorial, I asked myself about leadership in nursing education research. What is the "secret sauce" to propel us to a future in which we are better at being both leaders in nursing education and leaders in nursing education research?
The answer is simple. The characteristics that make great leaders also apply to those of us charting the research agenda for the future of nursing education. Each of these components is necessary for our collective desired future.
Vision is essential. We must see beyond the current horizon of nursing education. I envision a world in which entry level to professional nursing practice is postbaccalaureate, catapulting us to be parallel with health profession colleagues in other disciplines, for example, physical therapy, pharmacy, and medicine. We have moved the needle on preparation of nurses with baccalaureate degrees beyond the 50 percent mark. Now, baccalaureate-prepared nurses are in the majority, leading patients and families in all health care environments.
Beyond vision, leaders in nursing education research need commitment. We must continue to build programs of research, expanding the knowledge base beyond our single-site studies to multisite and multicultural global nursing education research. We must be passionate in our pursuit of knowledge, beyond today's boundaries, toward an unknown future, constantly pushing the boundaries of what we know and do not know.
Great leaders are also skilled in developing and nurturing relationships with others, followers and colleagues. Thus, our academic institutions must be seats of relationships, places in which students and colleagues find meaningfulness in their academic pursuits. Our students will be our future colleagues in setting the pace of nursing practice in every venue. The professional relationships that we build with our students are essential for succession planning for future nurse leaders, for what is leadership beyond instilling hope for the future -the future of nursing education, the future of health care delivery, and the future of healthy societies?
Nurse educators are leaders. We have the ability to spark creativity in those we teach today and thus have an impact on future generations who will move beyond our reach. Our students need to understand our vision, our commitment, and our passion for nursing education research. With our students, we can form the relationships that will carry us all forward to the next generation of knowledge.