The journey and experiences of female Hispanic nurse leaders

This study aimed to understand the experiences and perspectives of female Hispanic nurse leaders. Healthcare research suggests a diverse nursing leadership team is critical to delivering high-quality patient care. There is an evident gap in the literature regarding ethnic minority nursing leaders, especially Hispanic women. A phenomenological hermeneutic design was used to describe the lives of Hispanic female nurse leaders through their lens. The study objectives were to 1) Explore the perceptions of being a Hispanic female nurse leader, 2) Describe the trajectory to leadership for Hispanic female nurse leaders, and 3) Gather recommendations from female nurse leaders to guide the journeys of future Hispanic nurses pursuing leadership roles. Paul Ricoeur’s philosophical underpinning guided the semi-structured interviews of fifteen Female Hispanic nurses in formal leadership roles. Ricoeur’s Theory of Interpretation was used to analyze the text through three phases: naïve reading, environmental explanation, and phenomenological interpretation. The environmental analysis uncovered three themes that described the world in which leaders lived: family, culture, and healthcare organization. The phenomenological interpretation identified four phenomenological themes: weaving my life fabric, my inner dialogue, weight on my shoulders, and paving the way. The results of this study highlight the critical need for a diverse and inclusive nursing leadership team. By taking proactive steps to ensure equal opportunities, reducing barriers to career advancement, and developing supportive strategies, organizations and communities can address the challenges in attracting and retaining qualified ethnic minority nurses into leadership positions.