Emerging Nurse Leader

A leadership development blog

The Path Back to Us: Rebuilding Broken Trust

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN I was recently reminded of how difficult it can be to rebuild broken trust in talking with leaders whose health system experienced a nursing strike. Trust acts as the essential "glue" holding a unit together. When conflict occurs—whether due to a strike, staffing shortages, a difficult clinical event, a CNO fired without apparent … [Read more...]

What Nurse Leaders Are Getting Wrong About Generation Z

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Delivering workshops on Building Bridges, Not Walls: Leading Multigenerational Nursing Teams has given me the opportunity to speak with up-and-coming Generation Z nurse leaders across the country. I am always interested in what we are getting right in terms of meeting the needs of their generation, but more importantly, what we are … [Read more...]

Questions to Ask New Graduates During Interviews

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN We are entering the time when organizations begin hiring for their nurse residency programs. I am a firm believer that nurse managers need to be involved in the selection process, as the manager-nurse relationship is critically important. Transitioning from a student to a professional nurse is a high-stakes period, and as we have … [Read more...]

Why Patient Safety Feels Harder Today

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN CNOs quietly tell me that they are under enormous pressure from their C-Suite colleagues. Nurse staffing improved in almost every health system in the country in 2025, yet these staffing gains are not translating into improved care and performance metrics. Despite our sophisticated technology and increased staffing, our "Never Event" … [Read more...]

Why Gen Z Nurses are Ghosting Your Unit Councils (and How to Fix It)

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By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN The landscape of our workforce has shifted dramatically, yet many of our professional governance structures remain frozen in a 1990s time capsule. When I talk to nurse leaders across the country, a common frustration emerges: "We have the councils, but we can't get anyone to show up—especially our younger nurses." Press Ganey data in … [Read more...]