What does it take to be a successful nurse executive in today’s healthcare landscape? Beyond clinical experience and management skills, nurse executives must possess the strategic insight, political acumen, and adaptive leadership required to influence across systems. They must lead teams, manage complex services, balance budgets, and make decisions that align with both patient needs and organisational objectives. Most importantly, they must be capable of navigating a healthcare system facing rapid change, growing demand, and resource constraints.
The national standard for nurse executive excellence
Recognising the complexity and importance of these roles, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) developed the Nurse Executive Capability Framework (NECF)—a national standard that defines the essential capabilities of nurse executives. The framework outlines three key domains that nurse executives must master: leading the service, leading others, and leading self. Together, these domains provide a roadmap for nurses aspiring to lead in senior and executive-level roles across the health and aged care systems.
How the Nurse Executive Leadership Program builds capability and confidence
The ACN Institute of Leadership’s Nurse Executive Leadership Program (NELP) is grounded in this framework. Designed for experienced nurses with leadership responsibilities, the program offers an immersive, six-month experience that includes a five-day face-to-face masterclass, mentoring from experienced nurse leaders, and a workplace-based leadership project. Participants explore topics such as clinical governance, health economics, financial management, strategic planning, digital health, and more.
Through this structure, the program not only builds capabilities aligned with the NECF—it also supports nurses to apply their learning directly to meaningful, real-world challenges. In this article, four program alumni share their firsthand reflections on how the Nurse Executive Leadership Program supported them to meet the demands of leadership—and thrive, from leading statewide clinical change to navigating public sector bureaucracy, driving innovation, and gaining the strategic tools to advance their careers.
Driving strategic change in rural health
“The Nurse Executive Leadership Program played a crucial role in supporting my leadership of strategic change within Monto Hospital, particularly in the expansion of the Primary Clinical Care Manual (PCCM) to include inpatient care for rural hospitals when no doctor is available. This initiative aimed to address the challenges of workforce shortages in rural and remote areas, empowering Rural and Isolated Practice Registered Nurse (RIPRN) nurses to provide comprehensive, high-quality care in the absence of a medical officer.
The program helped me refine my leadership approach, particularly in stakeholder engagement and change management. By applying the principles of strategic thinking and visionary leadership, I was able to build a compelling case for the PCCM’s expanded use, engaging key stakeholders including senior medical officers, nursing leaders, and state health representatives. Through targeted consultation processes, I gained buy-in and approval from multiple health jurisdictions, ensuring the model would be adopted statewide and beyond.
The leadership program also helped shift my perspective on sustaining organisational change. I learned how to foster collaboration across multiple sectors—government, non-government organisations, and healthcare providers—creating a shared vision for the initiative’s success. By focusing on empowering nurses, I was able to reshape clinical roles, increase workforce retention, and ensure equitable healthcare delivery in rural areas. This experience transformed my approach to leadership, strengthening my ability to lead innovative change and make lasting improvements in healthcare delivery in rural communities.”
— Tracey Pattie MACN, A/General Manager Division of Surgery
Leading change in a large health system
“Making change within a large Government organisation of several thousand employees across multiple sites can be extremely challenging, especially during times such as these when finances are tight and improvements are not currently the highest priority. The Nurse Executive Leadership Program has been instrumental in enabling me to develop a proposal for a long-needed change.
Firstly, the program provided access to industry experts, including topics such as clinical governance, health economics and finance management. This has greatly assisted my ability to develop a proposal for change whilst considering the actual and fiscal resources available. I now have a greater confidence in balancing improvements to service delivery whilst considering budget efficiencies, KPIs and the raising of revenue.
The program provided the practical tools to complete the steps required and the skills and knowledge needed to develop a thorough and well-considered proposal to make a major, meaningful change. I have learnt how to provide evidence that all aspects of the proposed change have been considered and accounted for, and the potential impacts made clear, which enables stakeholders to make informed decisions.
Lastly, one of the most impactful takeaways from the program is the connections that were made with both the presenters and fellow participants; it was a privilege to spend a week with such inspiring individuals who are so enthusiastic about nursing and particularly nursing leadership. Being from a rural area and the manager of a rural hospital it is at times difficult to keep up to date with important changes at a state and national level. Personally, I drew a great deal from others’ experiences and advice and have been able to look at my nursing career from a new perspective and make plans into the future. These connections also provided valuable insight into how to tackle the bureaucracy of public health, and put ideas into action, which at times seems an insurmountable task.”
— Sarah Smith MACN, Nurse Unit Manager
Gaining tools and perspective for career growth
“I knew I wanted to attend a quality improvement project, however prior to my NELP course I didn’t have the correct tools and information to systematically approach this improvement within my organisation. The NELP course not only gave me these practical tools, but it also taught me the correct processes required to achieve success.
The networking within our group I found invaluable, our collective experiences within health care enabled me to debrief, support and be supported by my colleagues. Our issues within health care were largely the same.
The biggest take-home message I learnt from my NELP course in shifting my leadership perspective was the idea that I needed to get “out of the pool and up onto the lifeguard chair” to look at problems and opportunities from a more strategic and overview perspective— invaluable!
I was incredibly lucky to have a mentor who showed me the steps to success once the 5-day course was completed. Without this course or my mentor, I would not have been successful in career opportunities and advancement.”
— Rachel Fishlock MACN, General Manager Aged and Community Care
Building confidence to innovate in clinical trials
“Participating in the Nurse Executive Leadership Program (NELP) has been a transformative experience that equipped me with practical tools and strategies to lead effectively in a dynamic healthcare environment. A standout achievement from my NELP journey was the development of a Clinical Care Pathway for Human Challenge Trial participants—a project aligned with my leadership scholarship and completed amidst the foundational work at Doherty Clinical Trials Ltd. (DCT).
During DCT’s establishment phase, I balanced drafting SOPs, preparing work instructions, and ensuring the team’s timely submission of a license application to the Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR). These competing demands required prioritisation and strategic planning; skills reinforced through the leadership frameworks provided by NELP. By integrating change management principles and stakeholder engagement strategies, I navigated the complexities of this project to create a pathway that aligns with participant needs and regulatory requirements.
NELP also provided invaluable opportunities to collaborate with mentors and peers, fostering a network of professionals whose insights challenged and refined my approach. This support was pivotal in addressing barriers and maintaining momentum on the project, which is a critical step in ensuring seamless participant care in human challenge trials.
This experience has expanded my leadership capacity, enabling me to drive workplace improvements with confidence and agility. It has also underscored the importance of innovative thinking in advancing healthcare outcomes. I am grateful for the program’s influence and encourage others to embrace NELP as a stepping-stone to achieving impactful leadership in nursing and beyond.”
— Sally O’Callaghan MACN, Clinical Nurse Director
Program overview: What to expect
The Nurse Executive Leadership Program is designed for nurses with more than six years of experience in leadership roles across the health and aged care systems. Through a mix of in-person learning, mentoring, and applied project work, participants gain the strategic leadership capabilities, operational and financial management skills, and tools for governance and workforce planning needed to succeed in executive roles.
Participants also build a strong national network, develop the confidence to influence policy and lead change, and are supported to build organisational capacity through expert mentoring and coaching.
Topics covered include clinical governance, health economics, financial management, marketing and communication, human resource management, operational planning, and digital health.
The program is underpinned by the Nurse Executive Capability Framework, which sets the national standard for excellence in nurse executive roles.
Ready to step into executive leadership?
If you’re ready to lead with purpose, strategy, and impact—ACN’s Nurse Executive Leadership Program can help you get there.
Visit the ACN Institute of Leadership website to learn more about the program and check upcoming intake dates and locations.
