Perceptions of Authentic Nurse Leader Attributes Among Clinical Nurses and Nurse Leaders

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to measure authentic nurse leadership (ANL) from the perspective of nurse leaders.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for ANL to establish healthy work environments (HWE) that promote positive outcomes.

Methods: A nonexperimental design and exploratory psychometric analysis developed and validated the Authentic Nurse Leadership Questionnaire for Nurse Leaders (ANLQ-NL) instrument. Relationships were explored between ANLQ-NL and HWE, as measured by the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS). The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS) was used to measure the nurse leaders' tendency to produce socially desirable responses. The sample consisted of 188 nurse leaders from several US hospitals.

Results: The ANLQ-NL instrument was found to be valid and highly reliable. Each of the constructs aligned with the ANL conceptual framework.

Conclusion: The ANL conceptual framework and instruments (ANLQ and ANLQ-NL) can be used for educational programs aimed at developing ANL attributes among nurses.