Commentary: The Nursing Workforce: Who Will Be Left to Answer the Call?

Nursing leaders play a critical role in responding to health human resource challenges. Innovative approaches are needed to retain and support the nursing workforce; recruitment alone is unlikely to address the gap. Actions to robustly support the onboarding of new graduate nurses, ongoing professional development opportunities and creative scheduling arrangements are all required to retain nurses. Shifting to a widened definition of the "health team" and a move from the traditionally siloed scope of practice models will require a transformational shift in thinking, and nursing leaders must lead that change. Health human resource planning must also occur in lockstep with population health planning.

No need to grow my resumé? Mentorship and the intersection of learning between emerging and established leaders.

Active ongoing learning is a foundational expectation of every healthcare leader whether at the beginning or end of their career. In order for leaders to be nimble and responsive to the ongoing changes in the healthcare environment, they must actively engage in a multiplicity of learning activities. One way of ensuring diversity of learning is for emerging and established leaders to learn together through formal or informal mentoring. This article will explore that intersection and the value add of a reciprocal mentoring relationship where mentor and mentee roles become blurred and joint learning becomes the goal. Capabilities from the LEADS in a Caring Environment framework will be drawn upon, and a challenge is suggested for experienced leaders to go beyond resumé building and invest in emerging leaders, as ultimately it is an investment in their own learning and the future.