The Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research Program for Postdoctoral Nurses: A Development Paper

Abstract

Purpose The Dutch Nursing Science Faculties developed the Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research program, which aims to increase the cadre of nurse scientists, strengthen nursing research within universities, and improve the career development of postdoctoral nurses. The purpose of this article was to describe the development of the leadership and mentoring program to foster its replication and to present a formative program evaluation. Design The leadership mentoring program was developed using a three‐step procedure: a systematic review of the literature on successful leadership programs was conducted; theoretical underpinnings were identified and input; and feedback was solicited from national and international experts and changes made, resulting in the final program, which was executed from February 2016‐2018. Findings A 2‐year leadership and mentoring program for postdoctoral nurses working in research was developed and executed. Ten fellows completed the program and worked on their leadership development, developed their own research programs, and established research collaborations. Formative evaluations showed that the fellows highly valued the program sessions. We have learned several key lessons on how to structure, implement, and evaluate the leadership and mentoring program. Conclusions Through the leadership and mentoring program, the fellows are immersed in concerted leadership development focusing on the academic leadership role. Formative evaluations showed that the program was valued by the fellows and that several key lessons were learned. Clinical Relevance Through the leadership and mentoring program, 10 postdoctoral nurses strengthened their leadership in research and will further develop their role in healthcare research, clinical practice, and education.

Making explicit the development of PhD-prepared nurses to steward the discipline

“…Stacy (2006) believes that the development of the skills important to steward a discipline can be nurtured within the culture of the educational setting. Mentoring in postdoctoral programs facilitates mentees' research programs and their academic leadership skills (Hafsteinsdottir, Schoonhoven, Hamers, & Schuurmans, 2020). Some of the strategies used in these programs could be adjusted for doctoral students and may help them get a jumpstart on their research trajectory and their ability to begin to steward the discipline.…”

Is leadership of nurses associated with nurse-reported quality of care? A cross-sectional survey

“…Leadership programmes generally are long-term programmes of 1.5 to 2 years and are increasingly provided through online modules or combination of online with face-to-face opportunities. Examples of leadership programmes for nurses include the National Leadership Mentoring in Nursing Research programme for postdoctoral nurses, which was set up with the aim of increasing the cadre of nurse scientists in the Netherlands (Hafsteinsdóttir et al., 2020) and the Nursing Leadership Educational Program (Nurse-Lead) for doctoral nursing students and postdoctoral nurses in Europe (NurseLead, 2018).…”

Developing leadership in postdoctoral nurses: A longitudinal mixed-methods study

“…The model of Exemplary Leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2013a) had a central place in the theoretical underpinning of the programme. Third, to ensure that the program would fulfill the intended need, input from key stakeholders was essential to establish the program's scope, format and operations (Hafsteinsd ottir et al, 2020). Details of the programme development are described in an earlier paper (Hafsteinsd ottir et al, 2020).…”