Developing geriatric nursing leaders via an annual leadership conference

This article lists assumptions/goals and describes programming and outcomes for the annual Leadership Conference developed as part of the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) Program. This component of the BAGNC Program was conceptualized as a complement to the institution-based research training received by pre-doctoral scholars and post-doctoral fellows at their home universities. Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Scholars and Fellows generally rated the Leadership Conferences as “excellent” or “very good” in quality and relevance to their work. Three cohorts of scholars and fellows interviewed in 2004 about their overall experience (n = 61) mentioned the Leadership Conference as particularly important for networking and skills development.