THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLINICAL LEADERSHIP THROUGH SUPPORTED REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

The notion of clinical leadership is significant in current nursing pr actice, particularly since recommendations made by the Department of H ealth in 'The Strategy for Nursing'. However, while it is a concept th at many nurses aspire to implement, in reality the operationalizing of such a concept is fraught with difficulty. This paper aims to explore the issue of clinical leadership through a collegiate model developed in a particular practice area. The development of this collegiate rel ationship is articulated through the mediums of reflective practice an d clinical supervision. A model of collegiality is offered as an appro ach to the integration of the spheres of clinical leadership. If refle ctive practice is to be a reality then it is essential that both clini cal leaders and practitioners engage in such processes within a suppor tive culture.