LAUSR

BACKGROUND According to Bandura's theory, understanding the relationship of traits and leader self-efficacy in the various roles of nursing can aid in leader development and the growth of the profession. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of leader self-efficacy of academic nursing professionals to determine if traits and participation in certain activities was predictive of leader self-efficacy. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A validated survey tool, the Leader Efficacy Questionnaire (LEQ) was administered to nursing professionals using snowball sampling from publicly available email addresses. FINDINGS Statistical significance was found between the academic degrees and the 4 scores of the LEQ. Overall, the participants reported moderate to high leader self-efficacy with an LEQ overall score (LSME) of 70 or greater. CONCLUSION The dynamic challenges of health care require an understanding of nursing professionals' leader self-efficacy in light of their academic preparation and activities to grow the profession.