The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) 2025 Nurse Leadership program officially kicked off on January 28, 2025, in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota. This session, the first of three in-person sessions for the program, focused on crucial conversations and advocacy. The event coincides with the 2025 legislative session which allowed attendees to hear from SDAHO’s Advocacy team and Senator Sydney Davis who spoke to the group about the importance of understanding advocacy at all levels. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice #8, Advocacy, states, “the registered nurse demonstrates advocacy in all roles and settings”. This standard further explains advocacy includes the nurse by “informing the political arena about the role of nurses and the vital components necessary for nurses and nursing to provide optimal care delivery.” To achieve this, the nurse must have a good grasp on how government works at the local, state, and federal levels. Senator Davis, who is also a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, further discussed the unique role nurses have in helping legislative members understand health care proposed legislation, thus improving health care, and advancing the nursing profession.
The 2025 program has nurses from across the state, representing different departments within long-term care, hospitals, and clinics. In looking at nursing practice, it is important to remember and reflect on the guiding principles set by the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice for all nurses. Standard #13, Education, talks about the registered nurse “seeking knowledge and competence that reflects current nursing practice and promotes futuristic thinking”, and this can be accomplished through a variety of ways, for example, “participate in continual professional development activities related to nursing and inter-professional knowledge bases and professional topics” and “commit to lifelong learning through critical thinking, self-reflection, and inquiry for personal growth and learning”.
SDAHO’s Nurse Leadership program began in 2020 to connect and provide nursing professional development skills, critical thinking, and conflict management tools to assist in their leadership journey. This customized education program is designed to equip hospital and post-acute care nurse leaders and emerging nurse leaders with leadership and operational skills they need to be successful, supportive leaders in their own organizations. Since it began the program has grown in the number of participants but also in the many different disciplines represented by nurses.
The SDAHO 2025 Nurse Leadership program holds 10 sessions from January 2025 to September 2025, wrapping up in October with an independent study project focusing on a unique initiative or challenge identified by the participant. For more information on the SDAHO Nurse Leadership program, click here.
Reference:
Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (4th ed.). (2021). American Nurses Association.
