Abstract
Background: Nursing leadership is an essential element in motivating and inspiring nurses to practice at the top of their licensure. Leadership is the process of inspiring and influencing others to mobilize and direct their efforts toward specific goals and attain these goals through them. Nurses’ transition into leadership roles requires certain competencies demonstrated to become a strong leader. Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of leadership development training programs on the acquisition of leadership competencies for nurses. Design: A quantitative quasi-experiment design was employed where nurses who participated in a leadership development training program at King Abdulaziz Medical City participated in this study using a survey method. Results: The result revealed significant effects of the leadership development program on the perceptions of nurses on the essential leadership knowledge and the ability to implement these competencies. The result showed a relatively high level of perceived knowledge and ability to implement the statements of the five sub-scales: Technical, Human, Conceptual, Leadership skills, and Financial Management. Conclusion: Development training programs in leadership for nurses should focus on knowledge, skills, and the resources they need to accomplish their career objectives and facilitate their transition into becoming skilled nurse leaders.