Search

Background: The healthcare sector's complexity requires competent nursing graduate leaders who can effectively lead upon entering their first workplace. Despite studies hinting at a link between leadership competency and nursing students’ readiness for practice, a direct correlation hasn't been fully explored. Aim: This study aims to examine leadership competencies among nursing graduates of Jordanian colleges and their readiness for practice, including the correlation between these variables. Design: A quantitative correlational method was employed, utilizing a 40-item questionnaire for leadership competency and the 22-item Casey-Fink survey for assessing graduates' readiness for practice. A convenience sample of 268 clinical nurse leaders (CNLs) supervising new graduates was selected. Results: The analysis, revealed a moderate presence of leadership competencies and readiness for practice. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a strong positive relationship between graduates' leadership competencies and their readiness for practice. Conclusions: The study highlights the need to integrate nursing leadership skills into the curriculum and suggests early engagement with nursing bodies to enhance leadership and workplace readiness. It emphasizes a strategic educational approach to align academic and practical competencies in nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]