UPDATED GROUP PROFILE OF CONTEMPORARY INFLUENTIALS IN AMERICAN NURSING (LEADERSHIP, LEADERS, POWER).
Contributors: Lehigh University.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 157
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This study sought to contrast the group profile of contemporary nurse-influentials in terms of geographic location, presence of mentors, and agreement on sources of influence with the group profile of nurse-influentials attained by Vance (1977) in order to ascertain what changes, if any, had occurred in the intervening decade. A second dimension of this study was to determine critical events and favorable or unfavorable incidents that might have occurred within a mentor relationship experienced by the current group of nurse-influentials.

The names of the nurse-influentials were obtained by a nationwide nominating process whereby a sample of nurses considered to hold high institutional positions themselves named the most influential individuals in the community or nation in the field of nursing. Forty-five nurse-influentials were identified by the positional leaders and constituted the primary source of data in this study. Using a mailed questionnaire and a modified version of the Flanagan's critical incident technique, five major areas of data were collected from the influentials and analyzed: career characteristics and sources of influences (contrasted with Vance's findings), critical events related to success, and favorable and unfavorable incidents occurring within the mentor relationship.

Chi Square analysis was used to determine any significant differences in the responses between Vance's group (1977) and those identified in this study in terms of geographic location and presence of mentors. Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance was used to test for the level of agreement among the groups with respect to the ranking of sources of influence.

In terms of career characteristics, the current group strongly resembles Vance's group in regard to geographic setting, travel, presence of mentors, support systems, and agreement on sources of influence. However, there is a substantial increase in academic-educational positions and publication and research among the current influentials. There is a trend indicating that the current profile of influentials is approaching the profile of a university academician.

Academic pursuits and support systems were reported as the predominate critical factors associated with nurse-influentials' success.

Career advice, guidance, and promotion were reported as the predominate favorable incidents within a mentor relationship. Confrontation with mentors was the most frequently cited unfavorable incident.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-06, Section: B, page: 1870.

Thesis (ED.D.)--LEHIGH UNIVERSITY, 1985.

School code: 0105.