Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to foster your synthesis of course content and should reflect the NURS 460 readings as these are used to examine the role and practice of the interviewee. All the information you collect in the interview will be used to write your Nurse Leader Interview summary.
1. Select an individual who is a nursing leader who holds at least a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Consider interviewing a nurse in a setting in which you hope to practice.
2. Get approval from the Professor via email to interview this person from the Instructor before you conduct the interview.
3. Arrange a day and time to meet with the leader. You may conduct the interview remotely via phone, Zoom, Facetime, or Skype. You may NOT interview by email.
4. Arrive at the interview on time, professionally dressed.
5. Complete the interview based on the questions, below. The questions are designed to help you get the information needed. The paper should NOT be written in a question/answer format but rather as a narrative summary. You don’t need to ask the leader all of the specific questions below, but they are meant to help you elicit the needed information from your interviewee that you need for the paper.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Must include in your paper): “Tell me about yourself and your career path.”
1. Tell me about your job.
a. Describe the organization you practice in
b. What is your job title and where does your position fit within the organization?
c. Describe your daily activities.
d. Do you have long-term objectives that you are working on in addition to the daily (short-term) operational responsibilities that you have?
2. Tell me about your experience.
a. Why did you choose nursing?
b. Where did you go to school (degrees/certificates earned)?
c. What is your experience (ask for a copy of their resume)?
d. Did you have any mentors? If yes, how did they influence your development in your role as a nurse/nurse leader?
3. Tell me about your leadership style.
a. Do you have a specific leadership model/theory that grounds your decision-making? (refer to examples in text and notes for leadership style/model/theory)
b. What do you think is your leadership style based on the theories we are discussing in our course? (Use textbook and notes for descriptions of leadership styles. Provide the leader with these prior to your interview.)
c. Has your leadership style always been the same or has it changed over time?
d. What is one of the greatest challenges you face in your role?
e. Describe your relationship with your business/facility.
i. How do you interact with your superiors, peers, subordinates?
ii. Is there anything you do to influence relationship development with these groups over time?
4. Beyond the work role.
a. Are you involved in any community activities related to nursing?
b. Are you involved in any nursing organizations?
c. Professional awards/achievements?
d. Presentations/publications/research?
5. If you had the opportunity to share one piece of information/advice with every nurse you came in contact with that might help improve the profession of nursing as a whole, what would it be?
6. Summary and Assessment of the learning experience. What did you personally learn from interviewing this leader? How might you apply what you learned to your current or future leadership style or approach? This should consist of a minimum of 2 full paragraphs.
Suggested major (level 1) headings to use in your paper to organize your narrative (you can use variations of these but be sure they are clear):
● Introduction
● Leader’s Role, Background, and Organization
● Mentors and Professional Development
● Leadership Style
● Challenges, Accomplishments, and Professional Memberships
● Summary (or Conclusion)
● References (only if needed!)
