Partnering to Lead Change: Nurses’ Role in the Redesign of Health Care

Abstract Health care has a long-held perception of perioperative nurses as providers who advocate for patients and who carry out physician orders. According to the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report on the future of nursing, not only must that view evolve, but nurses also must play a leading role, in partnership with physicians and other health care colleagues, if health care reform is to succeed. Several factors will prepare nurses for this new role of partnering to advance health, including advancing their formal education, developing leadership as a core competency, acquiring leadership skills, and being active in new models of leadership (ie, mentorship, volunteering, advocacy).