Critical Bytes - Leadership skills for nurses: career growth in challenging times

The Australian nursing and midwifery workforce is experiencing increasing complexity in patient care, workforce shortages, and rising expectations for leadership at all levels of practice. Nurses and midwives are frequently required to lead teams, supervise students and junior staff, and contribute to clinical governance and education, often without formal leadership training.

Course overview

Strong nursing leadership and effective mentoring are critical to building a resilient, skilled and supported workforce. Yet many nurses and midwives step into leadership or mentoring roles without formal preparation, clear frameworks or confidence in how to guide others.

This interactive webinar, developed to celebrate International Nurses Day, provides practical, evidence informed strategies to support nurses and midwives at all stages of their career to lead with confidence, mentor effectively and actively plan their career development.

Using clinical case studies and personal stories from Australian healthcare settings, this session explores how leadership is demonstrated at the bedside, how mentoring relationships can be structured for success, and how nurses can take ownership of their career progression in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Whether you are an early-career nurse, an experienced clinician, or stepping into a leadership role, this session will provide actionable tools you can apply immediately in your workplace.

Why you should attend

• Strengthen your ability to lead in day-to-day practice
• Develop practical mentoring skills to support students and colleagues
• Build confidence in career planning and progression pathways
• Understand how leadership impacts patient safety, team culture and retention
• Gain strategies aligned to Australian standards and workforce expectations

Engage in live case-based polling and panel discussions during the webinar, or access the recording post-event, including poll results and a summary of the panel discussion.