Interpreting Organizational-Level Financial Statements.

An organization's financial statements reflect their financial well-being and determine their ability to meet the health care needs of the citizens in their community. It is imperative that nursing leadership recognize the key components of an organization's annual consolidated financial statements, the balance sheet and income statement, and know how to interpret them to provide efficient, high-quality health care and to be successful in their role as nurse leaders. This article provides exemplars of these key documents with detailed instructions for the interpretation and understanding of the organization's financial statements, which will enable the reader to accurately and adeptly interpret their own organization's financial statements, as well as the statements from other organizations.