Making Nurses Into Leaders

Nurse executives wear two hats. Their most obvious role is that of clinical caregiver. But they're also executives, and with that extra layer of responsibility comes the need for an extra layer of skills. While much is made of nurses maintaining and expanding bedside skills through advanced practice education and training, nurse executives also need to hone their leadership skills.

That's why the American Association of Colleges of Nursing has teamed with one of the nation's top business schools, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, to develop the AACN-Wharton Executive Leadership Program.

The program, scheduled for August 14–17 in Philadelphia, is designed for academic leaders in nursing and focuses "exclusively on the needs of nursing deans," said AACN President Jane Kirschling, DNS, RN, FAAN in a statement.