Critical Nursing Leadership Skills Identified in ONS Leadership Competencies

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Nurses are the largest profession of healthcare workers in the United States and are at the forefront of patient care. In today’s complex healthcare delivery environment, nurses must be leaders at all levels of the profession. The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is pleased to announce the release of the ONS Leadership Competencies which are designed to reflect the specific needs of oncology nurses, but can transcend practice settings and be used universally across nursing specialties to increase and measure leadership competency in any environment.

The competencies were developed by ONS members to help nurses understand the skills needed at the individual, group, and governance levels of leadership. Whether working as a staff nurse, a nurse manager, or a representative to a hospital-wide committee, and whether serving on a Board of Directors or as the head of the local PTA, nurses are leaders in their personal and professional lives. These extensive competencies will assist nurses to identify areas for personal and professional growth across several domains.

"In today's chaotic healthcare environment, oncology nurses are uniquely positioned and have the obligation to step forward to be leaders of change,” said Ann Jones, RN, MS, MBA, AOCN®, project team member, and president of Health Forward, Council Bluffs, IA. “The project team believes the ONS Leadership Competencies tool can be the starting point for building or further enhancing leadership development plans." 

Learn more about ONS leadership opportunities.

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