A blueprint for leadership: designing and implementing an experiential program to cultivate authentic, servant nurse leaders

Purpose The nursing profession faces a critical shortage and a need for practice-ready leaders to navigate the complex healthcare landscape. This article describes the design, implementation and initial outcomes of the four-year Harper Nursing Scholars Program (HNSP) to prepare ethical, innovative and reflective leaders through experiential, competency-based education (CBE). Design/methodology/approach The HNSP supports 30 direct-entry BSN students across four cohorts and is grounded in authentic and servant leadership theories. Students are competitively selected, receiving annual scholarships and funding for experiential learning. Findings Scholar participants reported positive early outcomes, including self-awareness, evolving leadership concepts, community formation and reflective practice. Faculty report renewed teaching engagement. Originality/value This novel, replicable model, addresses the need for the development of practice-ready, ethical nurse leaders. The program uniquely blends two leadership theories with CBE, offering a distinct path for cultivating the next generation of nurse leaders.