The intentional development of nurses as leaders: a proposed framework.

In their 2010 report on The Future of Nursing, the Institute of Medicine called for nurses to be prepared to lead in all areas of healthcare. However, the nursing profession lacks consensus on a framework to guide the development of nurses as leaders and has yet to define essential leader competencies. This article reviews the Army's intentional, sequential, and progressive leader development program that is grounded in essential leader competencies. The applicability of this model to nursing is discussed, and examples of how it could be applied are highlighted. This article proposes the use of the military framework as a successful model for the intentional development of nurses as leaders to meet the triple aims of better care for patients, better health for populations, and reduced costs of care through more efficient use of resources.