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This study sought to determine the nursing leadership competencies clinical managers expect of new nurses in an acute care setting and to identify gaps between end-of-program nursing leadership competencies, as outlined in The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, with leadership competencies identified by clinical managers in an acute-care setting.
A single, bounded case study approach was used to collect data from nurse managers and assistant nurse managers at one acute care hospital. Data from intensive interviews, focus groups, and archival records were analyzed. Seven major themes related to clinical leadership emerged, including intentional learning, communication, professional practice, advocacy, teamwork, influencing practice, and systems thinking. Traits, mentoring, and generational differences emerged as secondary themes.
Data from this study revealed a developmental sequence for clinical leadership. Certain expectations identified as antecedent to clinical leadership emerged initially, whereas other aspects of clinical leadership, developed later in the career trajectory. It was clear that accomplishing nursing care tasks was a fundamental expectation for professional nursing practice. Communication, teamwork and advocacy are crucial leadership competencies which help the new nurse to effectively manage time and provide safe, high-quality nursing care. As the new nurse continues to develop, systems thinking and influencing nursing practice emerge as significant expectations. Nurse managers have clear expectations for how new nurses should be prepared for clinical leadership. The degree to which clinical practice partners employing new nurses and academic nursing programs educating future nurses collaborate to establish expected outcomes is variable; however, academic-practice collaborations are crucial in developing educational standards for entry to practice in complex healthcare delivery systems.

This mixed-methods study explored the metacognitive development of prelicensure nursing students by examining the relationship between motivation to learn and using self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies and describing the effect of guided self-regulation learning strategies on metacognitive development. Scores derived from the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) were analyzed quantitatively. Narrative data collected from student diary entries were analyzed qualitatively to identify major themes. The quantitative results revealed significant positive correlations between motivation and concentration, as well as motivation and time management at pre-intervention. Post-intervention, a significant positive correlation was found between motivation and the use of academic resources. Analysis of the qualitative data indicated a trend toward students incorporating active learning tools, such as flashcards and concept maps, in addition to traditional resources like textbooks. The findings suggest that guided self-regulation learning strategies are associated with metacognitive development in prelicensure nursing students.