Professional Presentation Skills Development in a Graduate Nursing Program.

Background: Expert communication skills are essential for nurse leaders to effectively influence health care. Because effective communication is a learned process, the curriculum should promote the development of presentation skills. An educational strategy was designed to promote the development of effective presentation skills for learners in the Nursing Leadership and Administration (NLA) track of the master's in nursing curriculum.

Pioneering through chaos.

The 2014 International Nursing Administration Research Conference, "Pioneering Through Chaos: Leadership for a Changing World," was held at the Texas Woman's University in Dallas, Texas, in the fall of 2014. The program drew more than 100 attendees from 4 countries. The conference informed attendees from both academe and practice about the role of nursing administration in navigating the dynamic healthcare climate.

Career coaching: innovative academic-practice partnership for professional development.

This article describes an academic-practice partnership that uses career coaching to support the health care system's strategic plans to increase nurses' educational level. Nurses and other employees seek coaching to explore their career path and create an educational plan to accomplish their goal. Career coaching by nursing faculty provides a unique service as they have expert knowledge of various educational programs as well as methods for achieving academic success.

Fostering completion of the doctor of philosophy degree through scholarly collegial support.

The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree in nursing science prepares nurses to be scientists through a rigorous program of scholarship and research. Nurses who complete this degree are recognized globally as researchers who are expected to pursue a career of intellectual inquiry. Today, the internationally small cohort of PhD-prepared nurses contributes empirically to the generation and development of nursing science.