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Summary Background Transformational leadership skills are critical to operate effectively in today's healthcare environment. Prelicensure nurses do not often practice these skills in a meaningful way during their undergraduate educational experience. Objectives This paper describes quantitative pre–post findings from the Kouzes and Posner Student Leadership Practices Inventory to examine students' leadership attributes pre–post engagement in an 18 month undergraduate leadership program. Design This is a non-experimental convenience study that used a quantitative pre–post survey design collecting data from participants and observers using the 360 Kouzes and Posner Student Leadership Practices Inventory. Settings A private university in the northeastern region of the United States. Participants Fourteen junior level nursing students who concurrently participated in a leadership program while concurrently completing their required academic courses for their bachelor's degree in nursing. Methods Paired sample t -tests were used to determine if there was statistical significance among student participants' and observers' perceptions of specific leadership behaviors and skills of students at the onset (pretest) and at the conclusion (posttest) of the leadership program. Results Participant and observer scores were positively correlated and statistical significance was identified in several practice areas. Conclusions It is important to integrate transformation leadership skills into undergraduate curriculum since it supports students' engagement in their own learning and instills foundational knowledge critical to their leadership trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of student leadership capacity and efficacy is critical to the nursing profession, and vital to this process is a strong foundation in critical thinking that includes a depth of understanding of self (i.e., authentic leadership development). This article will (a) present a theoretical overview of authentic leadership as compared with other popular leadership theories, (b) provide an overview of development/implementation o f an authentic leadership course, the first in a series of six one-credit courses as an integral component of the Macy Undergraduate Leadership Fellows Program for upper-level nursing students, and (c) discuss related implications for nursing education. Findings from an investigator-developed quantitative pre--post survey and qualitative evaluation questions are provided. Student feedback regarding the comprehensive nature of the course was extremely positive and affirmed the value of introspection associated with authentic leadership in ongoing personal and professional development. Critical pedagogy and action-oriented learning strategies also proved beneficial to student engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]