The visionary nurse leader views nursing as both an art and a science by promoting caring and competence as the link between science and humanity. Do you exhibit the following qualities?

Excellence

* Develops creative approaches to nursing practice that enhance quality patient care in a cost-effective manner.

* Acts as a nurse advocate by utilizing visionary and innovative leadership approaches.

* Advances the science of nursing through clarifying, refining, and expanding nursing's knowledge base.

Insight

* Influences the practice of nursing through communication.

* Encourages or serves as a mentor/preceptor who inspires peer practice of nursing.

* Enhances the image of nursing through nursing practices.

Development

* Actively seeks out professional growth opportunities and supports professional certification.

* Demonstrates excellence in nursing recruitment and retention.

* Fosters technologic environments to enhance the continuum of care and patient safety culture.

Inspiration

* Exceeds expectations of current role.

* Models behaviors of higher levels of practice.

* Significantly influences and inspires others to achieve higher levels of responsibility.

Networking

* Freely shares personal resources for the growth and development of colleagues.

* Actively participates in development of community affairs, legislation, and/or organizations that affect nursing practice.

* Cultivates others to support nursing and contribute to its development.

Balance

* Models a healthy work/life balance.

* Demonstrates commitment to nursing research, education, legislation, and technologic advancement.

* Actively supports competency and promotes quality and patient safety culture.

To enter, you or your colleague can compose a 2,500-word manuscript detailing your accomplishment in one of the six objectives outlined above. Describe the accomplishment in terms of the bullet points that accompany the objective. We'll feature the winning manuscript in the January 2005 issue.

Nursing Management 's editorial board will select the winner, based on a point system assigned to the manuscript's readability, originality, evidence of credibility, applicability to others/practice, evidence of outcomes or potential, and how well it meets content criteria. The chosen author will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Nursing Management Congress2004, which includes round-trip airfare, main conference registration, and hotel (up to a $2,000 value). He or she will be recognized by Nursing Management 's editor-in-chief at the conference's opening ceremony. To enter, e-mail your manuscript to [email protected], with "Visionary Leader" in the subject head. The contest closes on August 1, 2004.