Leadership for ethical policy and practice (LEPP): participatory action project.

Within Canada's fast-paced, ever-changing healthcare environment, providers are experiencing difficulty practising according to their professional ethical standards, leading many to experience moral or ethical distress. Limited attention has been paid to improvements in the ethical climate in healthcare settings in research focusing on nurses' workplaces. In this three-year study, we focused on how the ethical climate in healthcare delivery can be improved and how the use of participatory action research methods can lead to continued enhancements and lasting changes in services delivery.

Preparing the next generation of senior nursing leaders in Canada: perceptions of role competencies and barriers from the perspectives of inhabitants and aspirants.

This paper describes the findings of a two-part study designed to elicit preliminary answers to the questions: "How do incumbents and potential aspirants describe key role functions and competencies associated with senior nursing leadership positions in Canada?" and "What Lessons can be drawn for considerations of leadership succession planning?" The study was undertaken to develop a grounded knowledge framework upon which to develop national and local strategies. Such knowledge may help minimize the impact of an impending crisis by identifying gaps between expectations and reality in order to support proactive succession planning strategies and sustain senior leadership in Canadian nursing.

Patient safety culture and leadership within Canada's Academic Health Science Centres: towards the development of a collaborative position paper.

Currently, the Academy of Canadian Executive Nurses (ACEN) is working with the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations (ACAHO) to develop a joint position paper on patient safety cultures and leadership within Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs). Pressures to improve patient safety within our healthcare system are gaining momentum daily. Because AHSCs in Canada are the key organizations that are positioned regionally and nationally, where service delivery is the platform for the education of future healthcare providers, and where the development of new knowledge and innovation through research occurs, leadership for patient safety logically must emanate from them.

Effects of exposure on perception of pain expression.

The present study evaluated the effects of exposure to facial expression of pain, on observers' perceptions of pain expression. Thirty-one male and 49 female observers judged 1-s video excerpts in a signal detection paradigm. The excerpts showed facial expressions of shoulder-pain patients displaying no pain or moderate pain.

The relative value of nursing work: a study in progress.

The nursing shortage is likely to continue and, without intervention, may worsen. While retention and recruitment are constantly discussed among nursing leaders, the shortages, particularly in specialty areas, continue. Nurses have frequently stated that they are not valued for their knowledge.