ONS Revamps Approach to Leadership Development

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The ONS Leadership Development Institute (LDI) was held annually from 1998–2010. Although the program was well received, the number of nurses participating was limited each year. In response to the current economic climate, the ONS Board of Directors and staff decided to step back and re-evaluate the program, as well as define the leadership needs of the ONS membership and the organization as a whole.

Twenty nurses, staff, and association professionals met in April 2011 for the ONS Leadership Think Tank to look at nursing leadership conceptually and to generate discussion on the needs of nursing leadership education and development. The group discussed the needs and interests among nurses in the workforce today and the vision of how leadership education and training might advance the profession into the future. The think tank was funded by the ONS Foundation and Brenda Nevidjon's President's Grant.

The think tank offered short- and long-term recommendations to the ONS Board of Directors for the future of leadership development through ONS. A virtual leadership education resource and webcourse are planned. The program will incorporate successful aspects of LDI plus distance-learning and flexible scheduling; it is intended to serve as a bridge between the former LDI and future programming.

ONS will also define a leadership framework. This is essential to succession planning and will incorporate leadership competencies essential to governance and nurses in practice.

Preparing oncology nursing leaders has been part of the core work of the Society, as identified in the 2009–2012 strategic plan. In the 2012–2016 strategic plan, leadership becomes one of the pillars, with the goal of equipping members to be leaders and advocates in their workplaces, communities, and the organization.

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