Learning Objective #1: Identify variables that impact on the career progression of nurse executives

Learning Objective #2: Add to the debate regarding recommendations for nurse excutives themselves and others who aspire to become nurse executives

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The health care industry represents a major portion of the world's economy. It is perhaps the most complex and least predictable of service areas, and is experiencing a paradigm shift. The goals, stakeholders, services, settings, and types of care are all reconfiguring at a dramatic pace. These changes have created new educational and competency requirements for health care providers, and pose new ethical dilemmas for consumers, policy-makers, and providers. All of these changes bring new challenges and opportunities for nurse executives. In addition, hospital administrative teams have increasingly incorporated nurse executives into their midst. This organisational structure requires a higher level of functioning of the nurse executive never before experienced.

Through an extensive literature review, this author has identified ten factors reported to have an impact on the career progression of nurse executives. Among them are demographic factors such as gender, educational level, having dependants, and partners. Many authors have identified other factors such as mentoring, diversity of experience, proximity to job opportunities, membership of professional organisations, history of full time work and length of time in the profession. Vigorous research and debate should be occurring among nurses around the world as to which of these factors are the most important. An increase in the awareness of the value of mentoring, for example, will help nurses be sensitive to the opportunities of helping nursing colleagues. Documenting educational preparation, work experience and background factors which nurse executives deem useful will provide a rich description of factors that influence career development. An understanding of the role of each of these variables and their impact upon career progression will assist nurses who aspire to the executive career path to have clear recommendations for career advancement to add to their career plan.