title: The emergence of nursing leaders--a case of in-spite of, not because-of.
abstract: Sharing is an important concept in nursing. In this paper it is explored as a feature of professional development in order to ascertain the status of sharing in the profession. Four factors are considered. First, there is a question related to whether or not nurses demonstrate the characteristics needed for sharing. The argument is that female sex role socialisation precludes nurses from developing the requisite qualities. Second, the status of men in the profession and its potential effects are discussed. Third, the concept of mentoring as seen in the research on women and nurses is developed. Fourth, the critical implications of the type of organisation nurses work in are presented. Each of these factors impinge on the ability to share and the quality of the sharing. This may mean that leaders in nursing emerge in spite of, not because of, the professional sharing that occurs.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D009727:Nurses, Male / Q000523:psychology; D009729:Nursing / Q000639:trends; D012951:Socialization; D013663:Teaching