Where have all the Nurse Leaders gone?

By Rose O. Sherman, RN, EdD, FAAN

This is a question that we could be asking ourselves by the end of this decade. Even more critical is the concern about who will take their place.

A Global Shortage of Nurse Leaders by 2020

The pending shortage of nurse leaders is a global problem. Throughout the world, the nursing workforce is aging. Twelve European countries are participating in the rn4cast project. Their data indicates that Europe could have a shortage of up to 600,000 RNs by the end of the decade and this shortage includes nurse leaders. Leaders in the Academy of Canadian Nurse Executives have expressed concerns that there should not only be a focus on the pending nursing shortage but also on the shortage of nurse leaders in their provinces. In the United States, 2008 data from the national nursing sample indicates that 45% of working Registered Nurses are over the age of 50 and the age of nurse leaders is even older .

Recently, I conducted a survey in South Florida where I live and work. We asked hospitals and healthcare agencies to provide us with a profile of the age of their current nurse leaders. For most facilities, at least 50% of their leaders were over the age of 50 and in several facilities, it was 75%. In 2006, Nursing Management conducted a survey of 1000 nurse leaders in the United States in partnership with the Bernard Hodes Group. A staggering 55% of their respondents indicated that they would be retiring between 2011 and 2020. The numbers could change with the recent downturn in economic conditions but at some point, these nurse leaders will retire.

The Importance of Succession Planning

Health care organizations are slowly embracing the idea that it is important to begin leadership succession planning before it is too late. John Maxwell, an internationally recognized leadership expert, points out in his 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that “a leader’s lasting legacy will not be measured by the buildings we build, the institutions we establish, or what our team accomplished. Leaders are judged by how well the people they invest in carry on after they are gone”.

Succession planning can happen in many ways. Sometimes, nurse current leaders identify and coach staff members who they believe have high potential to succeed in leadership. Unfortunately, this does not happen often enough in some nursing environments. It may be that you have identified yourself as someone who has the talent to lead others.

Not Every Nurse Leader Worries about Legacy

Not all nurse leaders support leadership succession planning efforts. Perhaps you shared your leadership aspirations with one of your nurse leaders and your dreams were not met with an enthusiastic response. A young nurse recently confided in me that she had talked about her professional ambitions with her manager. Instead of the encouragement and enthusiasm that she had hoped to receive when she shared her goals, the manager laughed and told her that she would never achieve them. She left this conversation feeling very unsure of herself and her future as a nurse leader. I believe that you should never let anyone kill your dreams. Great leaders don’t do this. They honor the aspirations of others and realize that we all have in us the potential for greatness.

Great Opportunities for Emerging Nurse Leaders

There has never been a better time to choose nursing leadership as a career goal. The retirement of a large number of baby boomer nurse leaders will result in great career opportunities by the end of the decade. Oprah Winfrey often says that “luck is preparation meeting opportunity”. The time to start preparing for these opportunities is now. This blog is designed to help you on your journey.

Question – Have you thought about a nursing leadership career?

Your questions and ideas are important so be sure to make comments on this blog or email me at emergingrnleader@gmail.com.

Read to Lead

Hader, R., Saver, C. & Steltzer, T. (2006). No time to lose. Nursing Management. 37(7), 23-29, 48.

Maxwell, J.C. (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.