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As a coalition of 61 national nursing organizations, the Nursing Community stands united that the focus on responding to the Ebola Virus Disease in the United States and the devastating outbreak in West Africa must be on patient health and community protection.

Communicating internally and externally is one of the most difficult, yet critical, responsibilities leaders face. As our nation learned during Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Ebola outbreak in Africa and other major crises, frequent communication and full disclosure is essential to maintaining credibility with the organization’s interprofessional team and the public. What is said (or not said) can be as important one’s actions.

Health care systems increasingly are identifying strategies and interventions to improve the health of their patients and the communities they serve. Acute, ambulatory and post-acute care organizations are realizing the promotion of health and wellness outside their settings creates improved outcomes. This shift in care delivery focuses on partnerships across the health care settings and addressing specific health needs of particular populations.

The Nurse Manager Competencies are based on the Nurse Manager Learning Domain Framework and capture the skills, knowledge and abilities that guide the practice of these nurse leaders. The successful nurse leader must gain expertise in all three domains: the science of managing the business; the art of leading the people; the leader within.

Beyond the hospital and physician’s offices, patients are cared for in specialized settings based on their specific needs. Most modern hospitals and health care systems include a number of services or programs that fall into the category of post-acute care, including institutional-based programs such as inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) and long-term care hospitals, as well as home and community-based services, such as home health and hospice care.