Nursing leadership in China receives massive boost as almost 500 nurses complete ICN’s Leadership for Change™ programme

Almost 500 experienced nurses in China have completed ICN’s Leadership for Change (LFC) programme.

The programme prepares nurses with the leadership skills necessary to implement organizational change and improve nursing practice to achieve better health outcomes for patients.

ICN worked closely with the Chinese Nurses Association (CNA) to tailor the initial programme supported by Johnson & Johnson to the specific needs of nurses in China.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which put the project on hold for a year, its 471 successful participants have since launched 82 Change Projects in 12 of China’s provinces.

LFC Programme Director Dr Kristine Qureshi said: “The Chinese Nurses Association is to be congratulated for embracing the LFC programme and successfully implementing it across the country.”

ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton said: “Experienced nurses need to have the skills and expertise to provide leadership for their colleagues, and that is especially so in a vast country like China.

‘I congratulate these nurses who completed the programme despite the traumas of the pandemic. They are now equipped to help improve patient care, enhance the status of nursing in their country, and leave their mark on the profession and the health care services that they and their colleagues work in.”

CNA’s Director of International Affairs Qinqin Zhao said:

“The China Leadership for Change Programme is a remarkable action to enhance nursing leadership skills in China. The programme not only equips participants with technical, administrative, and management capacities, but also exposes them to a variety of healthcare issues, encouraging them to consider measures to improve and change practice and health policies within and beyond their organization."