Nursing and leadership: perceptions of nurse managers from a hospital in southern Brazil

Objective: To identify how nurse managers define and exercise leadership in a philanthropic Hospital in Southern Brazil; to identify ways of preparing these nurses for leadership. Method: this was a quantitative study, conducted with 15 nurses who worked in management positions at that hospital in 2011. A structured questionnaire applied in the field of research was used for data collection. Results: the concept of leadership is recognized positively by the nurses and is associated with effective and efficient communication and ethics, however, for such training was reduced and limited only to the undergraduate period. The resistance in the team was identified as the main barrier to the exercise of leadership. Conclusion: Specific training is necessary with regard to leadership in nursing, qualifying professionals to a more competent, humanized, and ethical performance.