Readiness for professional nursing practice in the current diverse and complex healthcare environment requires leadership capabilities. Faculty are challenged to identify specific leadership capabilities needed by graduate nurses upon entry into professional practice and to develop models from which they can accurately and authentically assess their demonstration. This article presents the development and implementation of an innovative leadership outcome assessment model. The model was developed in collaboration with nurse practice leaders and uses nurse practice leaders as external assessors and a "typical day" in nursing practice format.

The author presents six strategies that have been used successfully to teach and assess critical-thinking skills in a pharmacology course. Within the context of pharmacology content, the strategies were designed to develop student abilities in making critical distinctions, critical decision making, analysis of assessment findings, and the anticipation of intervention results and possible side effects/consequences.

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