The nurse executive acts as the “chief” nurse in their organization and is mandated to govern, as well as lead and direct practice. To depict this, the “Framework for Nurse Executive Leadership” organizing framework is encircled by three bands of responsibility: Governance, Leadership and Practice.
Governance
In their governance role, the nurse executive advances the safety and quality agenda by being an active, engaged and knowledgeable participant at the senior management and/or board room table. The nurse executive contributes to governance by:
- Articulating a strategic vision for the delivery of nursing and interprofessional care that is aligned with professional standards as well as the organization’s mission, vision, values and expected outcomes.
- Encouraging, supporting and presenting innovation within the context of organizational goals, objectives, and forecasts as well as risks and opportunities.
- Expecting and reinforcing a respect for the value add of a strong nursing team supported through proactive nursing human resource planning.
- Demonstrating political acumen in relationships with board members as well as internal and external stakeholders.
Leadership
In their leadership role, the nurse executive provides direction to nurses and as appropriate to other disciplines, in: the dissemination of the organization’s strategic vision, inspiring innovation and participating in program planning while prioritizing and identifying the necessary resources to support each program selected for implementation.
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Evidence-based decision-making at all levels is encouraged through the establishment of a professional practice council, which can assist in the development of relevant nursing-sensitive quality improvement indicators for optimal nurse/client, organizational and societal outcomes.
Practice
In their practice role, the nurse executive creates and promotes a culture of evidence-based practice by focusing on use of nursing and other clinical best practice guidelines, research utilization and capacity building in partnership with academic, professional association and other relevant stakeholders.