Improving the Leadership Capacity of the Public Health Nursing Workforce

Research shows that effective leadership skills have been found to lead to decreased turnover, increased job satisfaction and increased productivity.  In 2012, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) conducted a nurse satisfaction survey and received over 300 responses.  Following 16 town hall meetings, a priority area for improvement that was identified was nurse leadership. Studies identified the need to prepare and support nurses in developing their leadership skills. Unfortunately, there are only a few training programs available for nurse leaders, especially in public health settings. Following an evidence-based literature review, the Nursing Leadership Development Program (NLDP) was developed to improve leadership capacity among public health nurse supervisors, managers, and specialists. The NLDP is a structured 6-month leadership program with a robust training curriculum that provides six different courses that build, enhance, and strengthen leadership competencies relevant to public health. The purpose of the NLDP is to establish an effective, comprehensive leadership development program for public health nurses in order to increase retention, job satisfaction, and productivity for themselves and their teams. Over 100 nurse supervisors, managers and specialists participated in one of five cohorts. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted, including pre and post 360-degree assessments. Implementation of the NLDP curriculum assisted nurse leaders to improve their leadership capacity, thereby increasing nurse satisfaction, morale, productivity and overall success of the organization. The program design will be shared along with the implementation plan, evaluation results, and lessons learned.