A service-learning project facilitating leadership and management skills.

Nursing practice requires baccalaureate nursing graduates to possess strong leadership and management skills. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008) stated that: Leadership skills are needed that emphasize ethical and critical decisionmaking, initiating and maintaining effective working relationships, using mutually respectful communication and collaboration within interprofessional teams, care coordination, delegation, and developing conflict resolution strategies. (p. 13) Providing opportunities for nursing students to actually perform the skills instead of observing them is challenging for nurse educators. This challenge can be met when nurse educators use servicelearning experiences readily available to them. The purpose of this article is to share a common sense approach to providing opportunities for nursing students to demonstrate leadership and management skills using service-learning, including creativity, organization, communication, delegation, teamwork, and critical thinking (Yoder-Wise, 2007; Yoder-Wise & Kowalski, 2010).