Nursing Education Leadership Succession Planning: Utilization of Career Mapping for Professional Development

PURPOSE The focus of this quality improvement project was to identify potential future leaders in the Nursing Professional Development (NPD) department at a large hospital system using a succession planning model, strategy organizations use to cultivate individuals with the potential to assume future leadership roles. BACKGROUND A gap existed in deliberate career planning within the NPD department. A quality improvement project was developed utilizing evidence-based interventions including development of professional objectives, professional development opportunities, and identification of aspiring leaders in nursing education. METHODOLOGY Participants developed a career map to outline career goals, created an action plan for their professional development goals that aligned with nursing education leadership role competencies, and identified a mentor to offer guidance and support. Additionally, before and after the construction of the career map, participants completed the Leadership in Nursing Education (LNE©) assessment to evaluate the frequency with which they believed they were involved in nursing education leadership tasks. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method was utilized to refine changes in the project. RESULTS Of the participants, 86% completed their career map. The average LNE© total score increased by one point from the pre- to the post-assessment and three potential nursing education leaders were identified from the baseline of zero. IMPLICATIONS These findings suggest that incorporating career mapping and leadership readiness assessments is an evidence-based approach to succession planning and identifying future nursing education leaders.