Plan of Study

Leadership for Nurses in Long Term Care

Leadership for Nurses in Long Term Care has been created using the Best Practice Guidelines from the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (2013) entitled "Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership." The objectives of this course are met by building knowledge and application of skills in a virtual setting. The material is offered in four modules:

  1. Nursing Leadership
  2. Leadership Practices
  3. Effective Communication and Conflict Resultion
  4. Transitioning Leadership to Practice

Timeline

This represents a general timeline for the course. The exact delivery model may vary between offerings.

  • Week 1, Module 1: Nursing Leadership — Participants are introduced to the concept of clinical leadership and the significance of how leadership and nursing leadership theories have evolved over time. This module is also designed to have participants reflect on personal leadership behaviors and begin to identify personal leadership strengths.
  • Week 2, Module 2: Leadership Practices — Participants focus on various leadership styles and behaviours related to five transformational leadership practices that can be integrated into the work setting. Concepts of person-centred care and interprofessional collaborative practice are introduced and participants begin to develop their own leadership goals to initiate a Leadership Action Plan (LAP).
  • Week 3, Module 3: Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution — Participants focus on key leadership behaviours of effective communication and conflict resolution. Participants weave through various LTC specific scenarios that allow them to incorporate these skills into LTC practice.
  • Week 4, Module 4: Transitioning Leadership to Practice — Participants focus on transitioning leadership practices to the workplace, enhancing your collaborative relationship with management, and development of a personal Leadership Action Plan to use in your LTC practice.

By the end of this course, participants will have completed a Leadership Action Plan that encompasses Leadership goals for implementation in to their LTC practice setting. Once completed, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Manager's Leadership Guide

The Manager’s Leadership Guide has been created as an adjunct for managers to best support their nurses taking Leadership for Nurses in LTC course. This guide contains key messages that are required to best support nursing leadership development. In addition, managers will have access to the complete Leadership for Nurses in LTC course.

The Manager’s Leadership Guide provides managers with a foundation for engaging LTC nurses in discussions that relate leadership course content to their point of care practice. This enables managers, who lead teams, to enrich their own leadership knowledge and skills in the LTC practice setting, while building leadership capacity with nurses. It will also help support managers as they provide feedback to nurses who are developing and refining their Leadership Action Plan (LAP).

Timeline

This represents a general timeline for the course. The exact delivery model may vary between offerings.

  • Week 1, Module 1: Leadership for Managers — Participants have an opportunity to review Five Practices of Transformational Leaders, review leadership behaviours and qualities, have an introduction to the Nurses' Leadership Action Plan as well as better understand the role of the manager in supporting nursing leadership development.
  • Week 2, Module 2: Effective Communication, Coaching, and Feedback — Participants will examine leadership strategies for working with teams, explore managing versus leading and review effective communication in terms of coaching and mentoring. This module seeks to enhance nurse-manager engagement and strengthen partnerships that promote transformational leadership within LTC. 

The Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Health Care Providers offers education programming designed to meet the needs of learners across the province and strengthen our health care system. We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed programming that enables providers to develop and maintain foundational and specialty competencies.