Fostering leadership competence and satisfaction in nursing undergraduates through a student-led conference: A quasi-experimental pre-post study

Background: Numerous benefits have been reported for student-led conferences, such as increased leadership. This competence has been recognized as important for nurses so as to ensure the provision of safe and high quality care in complex environments. However, research has yet to examine empirically the impact of student-led conferences on students' leadership behaviours. Objectives: To examine the impact that participation in a student-led conference had on the self-perceived leadership competence of nursing undergraduates. Design: Quasi-experimental single group pre-post intervention study. Setting: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. Participants: 31 students enrolled in two elective modules offered during the final year (fourth year) of a nursing degree programme. Methods: Pre-post assessment of self-perceived leadership behaviours among nursing students involved in planning and organizing a scientific conference. In addition to carrying out the tasks of organizing the Conference, all students participated as co-authors of an oral communication, thus being able to develop both cognitive and non-cognitive domains. Leadership was measured using ES_SALI scale, the Spanish version of the Self Assessment Leadership Instrument. Results: Involvement in the student-led conference led to a statistically significant increase in self-perceived leadership competence among nursing undergraduates (p < .001). Both the total ES_SALI score and scores on each of its four dimensions (Strategic thinking, Emotional intelligence, Impact and influence, and Teamwork skills) increased significantly, and the percentage change was above 8% in all cases (p < .01). The greatest increase (10.99%) corresponded to the 'Impact and influence' dimension of leadership. Conclusions: The results suggest that student-led conferences are an effective way of helping nursing undergraduates to develop their leadership competence.