SPECIAL SESSION: Geriatric Nursing Leadership Development: Outcomes in Three Domains

Description/Overview: Effective interdisciplinary leadership has been correlated with improved patient care outcomes, increased retention of personnel, and sustained system change in healthcare organizations. As the needs for providing care for older adults increase, we must have a cadre of developed leaders who are prepared to transform relevant practice, education, research, and policy. Acute care settings, community health agencies, and long term care facilities must all have leaders who can facilitate a positive future within a climate of constant change and reform. The intensive eighteen month Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy which is funded through a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation and administered by Sigma Theta Tau International recently graduated the inaugural cohort of sixteen Fellows. These nurse leaders achieved significant outcomes in three domains: individual leadership and career development, advancement of practice through interdisciplinary leadership projects, and sustained impact at the organizational, community, and professional level. Through a rigorous intellectual and experiential learning platform, dedicated mentoring relationships, and strategic partnerships with senior executives opportunities were created for the Fellows to impact practice at the individual patient and family level, within the interdisciplinary team, and throughout organization, system, and community arenas. This session will present outcome data for each of the three domains and exemplars of specific achievements for each.