<p>The Career Core of Successful Scientific Leaders in Nursing – Their Motivators and Strategies</p>

Abstract

Background No studies explore the career core of successful scientific leaders in nursing, a context where role models and career support would be desirable. To achieve a successful academic career, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of how successful scientific leaders in healthcare think in order to guide junior researchers through their early careers. Aim To explore the main concern of successful scientific leaders in nursing and their mind-set, motivators and strategies for dealing with it. Methods A strategic group of 24 scientific leaders in nursing (professors and associate professors) in the United States (US) (n=12) and Sweden (n=12) was interviewed. The transcribed text was analysed using grounded theory. Results The core category, fulfilment, summarizes a process where the generated grounded theory is presented through four main categories: create, struggle, interact and maintain, illustrating how the informants dealt with fulfilment, which was their main concern. The theoretical link between the strategies is professional dedication through reflection, characterized by a will to go beyond themselves to be clinically useful and implement their research. Conclusion Successful scientific leaders in nursing construct a foundation for professional fulfilment by doing good for patients and improving the healthcare system maintaining being creative and interacting with others, all of which involve a great deal of struggle.

Teaching the Subject of Nursing—Academic Teaching Based on Dossey's Holistic Nursing Theory

“…A sense of meaning runs like a common thread in Dossey's holistic nursing philosophy and in teaching aspiring nurses. In a previous study on the success factors of leaders in nursing ( Garmy & Forsberg, 2020 ), the feeling of meaningfulness in doing good also emerged. Nurses could achieve this through a substantial dose of creativity, fighting spirit, networking, and room for recovery.…”