By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Our Generation Z nurses are career ambitious, which is terrific. Yet increasingly, nurse leaders report that they have nurses applying for roles for which they lack the necessary experience or clinical skills to be successful. Consider the following story:
We recently posted a vacancy for an Assistant Nurse Manager on our unit. One of my new grads with less than one year of experience applied. The position posting indicated that 3 years of experience was preferred. In talking with this new graduate, she honestly believed she was qualified for the role and questioned our “archaic requirement” for that much experience. She has never even been a charge nurse. I realize now that I managed this conversation poorly. I should have been excited that she was interested in leadership, but I did not convey this. Instead, I put her on the defensive. I’m hearing through the grapevine that she plans to leave because her career goals won’t be supported in our hospital. Am I crazy – how much clinical experience is enough?
My response is that there is no one correct answer to this. It would be easy to make a recommendation if a certain amount of time spent in clinical practice directly translated into superior performance as a leader, but this is not the case. While it is true that clinical experience is essential for leadership credibility in a practice discipline like nursing, it cannot be viewed in isolation without considering the individual’s ability and temperament.
Paying Your Dues – An Old Leadership Paradigm
Historically, clinical experience has always been an important criteria in the selection and career progression of nurse leaders. Many current nurse leaders were selected for their positions based on their technical expertise. Experience has generally been measured in terms of “years of experience”. While at one level, it might seem logical that a nurse with five years of experience is a better candidate for a leadership position than a nurse with three years of experience, this is not always the case. What a nurse really does within that time frame is often much more important. In addition to working clinically, the nurse with three years of experience may have returned to school and begun graduate coursework, achieved certification or perhaps became a member of a key nursing committee. The nurse with five years of experience may be just “doing the job” without any other professional enhancement or leadership development. I have recently spoken with a number of nurse leaders on this topic to find out how they handling the issue of clinical experience in selection for leadership positions. Most have told me that they use Patricia Benner’s Novice to Expert Framework to guide their decision making. In this framework, nurses move along a continuum of practice from novice to advanced beginner to competent to proficient and some go on to become experts. Progression to the competent stage which generally takes about three years but can happen sooner was felt to be essential for movement into a leadership position.
Talk About Skills and Competencies Rather than Years of Experience
I recommended to this leader that she set up a follow-up appointment to talk with the nurse. She needs to begin the conversation by noting that she is excited that this nurse is interested in leadership and talking about any special strengths the nurse might have that would contribute to her being a better leader. You want to send the clear message that she has great potential but is not there yet. I would then talk about the skills and competencies you would like to see her develop to position herself for success as a candidate such as taking charge on the unit or serving as a preceptor. I would also recommend that you give this nurse an assignment to interview three experienced assistant nurse managers in your organization (help with the questions to ask) to talk specifically about role expectations and how to prepare yourself.
As I heard this story, I was reminded of a time when I applied for a position that in retrospect I was clearly not qualified for. I had the confidence but not the competencies to assume the role. Wisely, I was not selected and in hindsight – I was saved from myself. I have seen colleagues make this mistake as well. Some have gotten lucky and over time – they grew into a role that initially they were not prepared for. But others have failed miserably and sometimes it led to leaving nursing completely. Our goal should always be to set our staff up for success in any role they choose to take and sometimes to be successful – you just need more skills than you currently have.
© emergingrnleader.com 2025
Our Most Popular Right Now The New World of Work Workshop
Two Brand New Workshops for Your Team in 2025
*** Trending – Building Bridges Not Walls: Leading Multigenerational Work Teams – Click Here for More Information Building Bridges Not Walls
Nurse and Nurse Leader Work-Life Balance and Well-Being: Nursing Leadership Strategies for Success – Click Here for More Information WorkLife Balance and Wellbeing WS
New Book – Click Here to Buy
LinkedIn
Instagram