Clinical leadership, structural empowerment and psychological empowerment of registered nurses working in an emergency department.

AIM: To examine clinical leadership of registered nurses in an emergency department, based on evidence that it is important for nurses to feel psychologically and structurally empowered in order to act as clinical leaders.

BACKGROUND: Every registered nurse has the ability to act as a clinical leader. Clinical leadership is the registered nurse's behaviours that provide direction and support to patients and the team in the delivery of patient care. This study explores the connection between the need for structural and psychological empowerment and clinical leadership behaviours.

METHODS: A mixed method, non-experimental survey design was used to examine the psychological empowerment, structural empowerment and clinical leadership of registered nurses working in an emergency department.

RESULTS: Emergency department nurses believe they show clinical leadership behaviours most of the time, even though their sense of being psychologically empowered is only moderate.

CONCLUSION: While registered nurses believe they perform clinical leadership behaviours, it is also clear that improvements in structural and psychological empowerment would improve their ability to act as clinical leaders.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The results show that for nurses to be able to provide clinical leadership to their patients and colleagues, management must create empowering environments.