Learning Objective #1: state perceptions of novice nurse managers who attended "Nurse Manager Boot Camp" education program.

Learning Objective #2: state the rationale for soliciting input from novice nurse managers themselves in planning leadership development initiatives.

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Purpose: To understand perceptions of novice nurse managers (NM) about the experience of attending “Nurse Manager Boot Camp” (NMBC) and what would aid in their own nursing leadership development, particularly development of transformational style of leadership.

Rationale/Conceptual Basis: NMBC is a popular educational intervention for leadership development in novice NM but may not be sufficient to develop transformational style of leadership, which has been shown to be an excellent model for empowering nurses (Force, 2005; Welford, 2002). Novice NM may be able to offer insight for their own leadership development.

Methods: Using a constructivist framework, basic qualitative interviews guided by a semi-structured interview format were used to explore the experiences of novice NM who attended NMBC. Participants were asked to share their perceptions of nursing leadership and what would be helpful to novice NM in future nursing leadership development. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of three novice NM who attended NMBC and were currently employed as NM in a rural medical center.

Results: Participants in this study identified that NMBC was a valuable, though overwhelming, experience. Mentorship, ongoing support and hospital-based on-site education and follow-up were identified as crucial to continued leadership development. A management position in the same unit worked as a staff nurse was acknowledged as a disruptor; frequent meetings were cited as a second disruptor.

Implications: Novice NM can contribute valuable insights regarding their own nursing leadership development. This input should be considered in planning nursing leadership development, particularly development of transformational style of leadership. Future research with a larger sample is warranted.

Force, M. V. (2005). The relationship between effective nurse managers and nursing retention. Journal of Nursing Administration, 35(7/8), 336-341.

Welford, C. (2002). Transformational leadership nursing: matching leadership to practice. Nursing Management, 9(4), 7-11.