Examining Nursing Leadership and Its Role in Driving Quality Improvement among Nursing Students in Kathmandu Valley

Abstract

Quality improvement (QI) strengthens healthcare delivery, with nurses playing a central role in addressing practice gaps. In Nepal, workforce shortages and inconsistent nursing education limit students’ readiness for QI, making leadership support essential. This study examined the influence of nursing leadership on nursing students’ awareness, participation, and perceptions of QI initiatives in Kathmandu Valley. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, with data collected from 422 students through stratified random sampling and analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS. Findings indicated that nursing students in Kathmandu Valley were highly engaged in QI initiatives, participating in projects (mean = 4.42, SD = 0.83), planning (mean = 4.01, SD = 0.83), and implementation (mean = 3.91, SD = 0.76). Leadership awareness and skills were moderate to high, despite limited formal training (mean = 2.99, SD = 1.29). Key challenges included workload (61.6%) and limited supervision (54.3%), while practical examples (64.7%) and instructor support (62.8%) facilitated sustained QI engagement. Incorporating structured leadership development and experiential QI training is essential to enhance nursing students’ competence in leading and sustaining quality improvement initiatives.