Perceptions of nursing students about leadership: A qualitative study

Background: Competent nursing leadership is essential for quality care. Nursing students must be empowered to exercise leadership. Objective: To identify the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students about leadership and provide recom-mendations for educating future nurses to exercise leadership. Design: This is a qualitative descriptive study. Participants: The study involved 30 undergraduate nursing students from universities localized in the southeast region of Brazil. Methods: Data were collected in February 2023 through online Google Forms. Thematic content analysis was used. Results: Three themes; (1) Opinions about leadership in nursing, (2) Skills needed by a nursing leader, and (3) Suggestions for educating nursing students in leadership, and 11 sub-themes were identified. Twelve (40 %) participants reported not having taken classes on leadership yet. Twenty-one (70 %) participants stated not feeling prepared for nursing leadership. Conclusions: Undergraduate nursing students are aware of the importance of leadership in nursing care. Several skills were identified as necessary for a competent nursing leader, but efficient communication was pointed out as the most indispensable. Theoretical and practical classes, innovative teaching methods, extracurricular ac-tivities, and continuing education, were described as important measures to ensure competent nursing leadership.

Automated summary

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students about leadership and provided recommendations for educating future nursing leaders. The study found that while students were aware of the importance of leadership in nursing, some had not received formal training in leadership and most felt unprepared for nursing leadership. The study highlighted efficient communication as the most indispensable skill for nursing leaders.