Succession Planning in Nursing - Who Are Tomorrow’s Leaders? (1 Hour)

The authors of this course introduced the topic of succession by talking about the nursing shortage. There will be a shortage of 340,000 registered nurses in acute care hospitals by the year 2020. One of the biggest reasons for this shortage is the baby boomer generation moving to retirement. These baby boomer nurses are the current nurse leaders today. Because of this looming problem, hospitals need to have succession planning in order to keep their business going. Succession planning involves grooming and getting ready nurses to lead in the future. Succession candidates should have the skills including experiential training, development through training and education, and coaching and mentoring. In order to groom future leaders, organizations need to have a mentoring program in place. Most nurse managers stated that their interest in management was a result of being mentored. The course authors state that most leaders are made not born, so leadership training programs need to be implemented in hospitals and healthcare facilities. As I look to grow in my career, I will take advantage of every leadership, and mentoring opportunity offered to me. It is through these programs that I will be able to learn more about what it means to lead and advance my career.