Independence and Leadership Component

Abstract

THE objectives of the Faculty of Nursing are based on a philosophy that explicitly states that the Faculty has a responsibility to create an environment which fosters the student's development and growth toward leadership roles. The term "leadership" is not meant to refer to any specific job function but to the "ability to influence others through direction, guidance or example so that the delivery of health care is improved or a high quality is maintained."* Although the preparation of a self-directing professional was the major factor influencing the form in which the fourth year of the revised curriculum was developed, faculty involved were also aware of the expressed feeling on the part of graduates of the school that less close supervision, particularly in the final year, would be helpful in making the transition to a practising professional (2). As A. J. Finch has pointed out in a more recent div, one of the current social trends which has significantly affected nursing education is the fact that the professional nurse practitioner is being required to have greater skills in independent decision-making and action (3). Others have also noted that nursing graduates frequently have serious transitional problems when they first begin work (4). At the time, it was agreed that in order to develop the capability for taking responsibility, decision-making, and independent action, more opportunities for independent experience needed to be built into the curriculum.