Leadership Curricula in Nursing Education: A Critical Literature Review and Gap Analysis

Background: The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report advises nursing education programs to integrate and embed leadership content within all areas of prelicensure nursing curriculum. This critical literature review synthesizes the state of the science of leadership curricula in prelicensure baccalaureate nursing education programs from 2008 to 2013. Gaps are identified and discussed. Method: The Academic Search Premier and Health Source databases were searched, using the keywords baccalaureate nursing education and leadership. The CINAHL database was searched, using the keywords leadership, education, nursing, and baccalaureate. Results: The 13 peer-reviewed articles identified for inclusion comprised descriptive articles (n = 8), mixed-methods studies (n = 2), quantitative studies (n = 2), and a qualitative study (n = 1). Conclusion: The underlying theme identified is the study and use of active learning strategies. Subthemes within this context were the use of reflection, peer learning, interdisciplinary teams, organizational partnerships, and curricular reform.