Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, first-line healthcare leaders across the healthcare system played crucial roles leading, motivating, and supporting staff.
Purpose: This study aims to describe multidisciplinary first-line healthcare leaders' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada using transformational and crisis leadership theory.
Methods: A descriptive two-phase (quantitative & qualitative) design was conducted in the spring of 2021. Phase 1 employed an online survey sent via email to first-line leaders from various sectors who were members of healthcare professional associations in Ontario. Participants included nurse managers, professional practice leaders (e.g., occupational and physiotherapists), advanced practice nurses, and clinical educators. In Phase 2, a subset (n = 19) of the Phase 1 participants were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of these leaders' experiences including role impact and support available. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted and recorded via Zoom©. Inductive and deductive analysis approaches identified key themes. This paper reports the qualitative findings from Phase 2.
Results: Leaders' behaviors were representative of the key dimensions of transformational and complexity leadership theories. Recommendations for leading during a crisis included: engaging in self-care activities to manage the personal impact of the crisis; teamwork and collaborative leadership; and support from fellow first-line leaders and senior leaders. Findings can inform healthcare leadership education programs designed to manage future crises for both academic and practice settings.
Conclusion: Descriptions of first-line healthcare leaders' roles and experiences during multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic validated their important contributions within various health sectors.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; crisis leadership; first-line healthcare leaders; nurse managers; transformational leadership.