Nursing’s Great Leaders: A History of Activism

by David Anthony Forrester

Uniquely focuses on nursing history through the lens of leadership

“ This book is perfect for men and women who aspire to lead nursing and society into a better future. It will equally benefit undergraduate students enrolled in leadership courses, graduate students preparing for leadership roles, and nurses already established in leadership roles. [This book] deepened my love for nursing and reinforced why nursing is repeatedly ranked the most trusted profession.”

-Susan B. Hassmiller , PhD, RN, FAAN

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Senior Adviser for Nursing

Director, Campaign for Action

With an emphasis on the qualities that have fostered strong nursing leadership, this book provides a unique perspective on the lives and achievements of the most revered nurses throughout history. It is comprised of biographies of many of nursing’s most important activist agents of change, with a focus on those characteristics that enabled them to accomplish their goals and implement changes that improved nursing, health, healthcare, and society. These biographies examine the evolution of nursing and society around the globe and underscore the resourcefulness and political savvy these nurses used to meet the increasingly complex needs of society.

Using Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of exemplary leadership as a framework, the biographies demonstrate how the nurses used these processes to achieve their goals. Placed within the context and dynamics of each nurse leader’s lifetimeóincluding gender roles, science and technology, religion, politics, and economics–each biography includes a personal history, timeline, accomplishments, anecdotes, and legacy. The book honors such well-known nurse leaders as Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, and Dorothea Dix, along with less well-known nurse leaders. By telling the stories of these prominent luminaries, the book showcases nursing’s rich history and its influence on society. Ultimately fostering an understanding of the very nature of leadership, it provides a strong foundation and inspiration for nurses to lead nursing, healthcare, and society into a better future.

Key Features:

• Focuses on nursing history through the lens of leadership
• Uses the framework of Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of exemplary leadership to analyze the achievements of nurse luminaries
• Considers the lives of well-known and lesser-known figures in nursing history
• Focuses on leadership characteristics that enabled historic nurse leaders to implement important changes in global healthcare

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