Nursing and Health Care

Biography

Biography: Karen Stansfield

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: The need to strengthen leadership in Public Health Nurses (PHNs) has been voiced in health care policy for the past twenty years (Department of Health, 1999 & 2006; National Health Service England, 2016, 2019). Yet there is still a lack of research examining how PHNs understand leadership, with, much of the existing research on leadership focusing on leaders “per se” as opposed to leadership as a social process.

The purpose of this study is to understand how PHNs perceive their leadership role, and how leadership as a social process is demonstrated in the delivery of the PHN service in the context of the NHS.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: An interpretive perspective using a constructivist grounded theory methodology approach was used to ascertain the participants’ main concerns in relation to leadership (Charmaz, 2014). Using in depth interviews and focus groups.

Findings: A conceptual model of making a difference: how PHNs understand the social processes of leadership has been constructed. The conceptual model demonstrates how the categories, context of leadership, the purpose of leadership and leadership behavior emerged. These were constructed from the comparative analysis, of the data and encapsulate the participants’ main concerns. This model identifies the need to incorporate education based on the three categories and the core category “making a difference” and there is a need to focus on leadership development as a continuous process.

Conclusion & Significance: This study has provided a model for leadership development that can be used as a structural model in PHN in both academic and clinical practice settings, and as a way of articulating how PHNs understand leadership. This study sheds light on the importance of building not only PHN identity but also leadership identity when delivering PHN education.