The Nurse Empowerment Program for Nurses in Direct Care Positions

OBJECTIVE An educational program including online generic and nursing-specific content was evaluated for self-assessed leadership skill outcomes. BACKGROUND Leadership development for nurses in direct care positions has not received the same support as for nurses in formal leadership positions. Pandemic and workforce changes make it critical that leadership skills be built at all levels of nursing. METHODS Early-career nurses (<= 10 years of experience) were recruited to participate in an online leadership development program offering 9 LinkedIn Learning courses, 3 leadership courses from Sigma, an e-book, and a discussion board. RESULTS Most participants who responded to both immediate postsurvey and 3-month follow-up survey (98.6% of n = 69) reported having applied new or improved abilities in their nursing practice to at least a small degree, and the majority reported having done so to a moderate or great degree. CONCLUSION This online leadership development program was valued and was associated with improved self-assessed leadership.