Medical-Surgical Nurses In Leadership

Health Care Needs Nursing Leadership

The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and its more than 13,000 members represent nurses who have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment and communication skills and are leaders in coordinating care among the interprofessional health care team. 

Medical-surgical nursing is practiced in several settings across the health care industry, including hospitals, outpatient settings, in homes, via telemedicine and other non-traditional settings.

As the only national professional organization representing the voice of medical-surgical nursing, our strategic mission for patients and their access to high-quality, affordable health care includes developing and promoting nursing leadership to improve health care.

Medical-surgical nurses possess the preparation and skills necessary for health care leadership

Where high levels of practical patient care skills and professional credibility are required, medical-surgical nurses can fulfill the nursing leadership need.

For every health care policy, advisory and leadership role where practical patient care expertise and professional credibility would be valuable, medical-surgical nurses are prepared to fulfill the need.

In addition to their advanced academic and professional education, their national professional association, AMSN, makes available numerous leadership development opportunities for its members.

They include AMSN engagement on the multidisciplinary Nurses on Boards Coalition, clinical and professional leadership development education and training, the Nightingale Challenge initiative for early career nurses, and advanced voluntary certifications through the affiliated Medical-Surgical Nurses Certification Board.

Every nurse is a leader, and everyone can benefit from more use of nursing leadership

Nurses have credibility as leaders because people believe they are in it for their patients, not for themselves. Nurses represent the largest share of the U.S. health care workforce and are the health care professionals with whom patients have the most contact. Medical-surgical nurses should be regularly called-upon to serve in policy, advisory and leadership roles.

AMSN Request
Support better health care by incorporating medical-surgical nurses into policy, advisory and leadership roles where their expertise in patient care and health care delivery systems, and their high levels of professional trust and credibility, can be applied effectively.