13 Ways Institutions Can Support Black Nurses Seeking Leadership Roles

Diverse nursing leadership delivers measurable benefits: better health equity, better patient outcomes, stronger mentorship for underrepresented nurses, and a wider range of perspectives. Yet the number of Black nurses in leadership remains low, and it's lower still in executive roles.

So what can institutions do to support Black nurses seeking leadership? Four nurses shared their experiences, the obstacles they faced, and their advice for career advancement.

Climbing the ladder as a Black nurse

To even apply for a leadership role, many Black nurses feel they have to exceed expectations, be overprepared and overqualified, and meet every requirement.

"I have been in two major leadership positions in my career and I feel that I had to go above and beyond in my role to be considered," says Jamil Norman, PhD, RN, CNE, who has nearly two decades of nursing experience.

Tameka McDaniel, DNP, assistant director of nursing education services at Nightingale College and a nurse for 16 years, describes her path to leadership as a string of rejections. After one application, she later learned the role went to a nurse "of a different ethnicity with less education and experience." She hit the same wall applying for roles in nursing education. "As a Black nurse, I feel the constant pressure to prove myself, to have more education and experience than the competition," she says. It wasn't until she joined Nightingale College, where diversity is rooted in the mission, that she felt her race and culture weren't a deciding factor in her advancement.

Phyllis Morgan, PhD, FNP-BC, with more than 29 years in nursing, tells a similar story. "There are microaggressions that have existed for years that have hindered Black nurses being promoted," she says.

Obstacles Black nurses face

Racism, microaggressions, nepotism, and implicit bias are frequent reasons Black nurses don't get hired into leadership. Those who do reach leadership often report discrimination and being the only minority in the room.

"Statistics have unfortunately revealed that the higher up you are in a role, the less likely you are to see someone else who looks like you at your level," says Charles Lapsley, MSN, RN.

That lack of representation pushes many Black nurses to see leadership as out of reach. "When people don't see themselves represented in leadership, the door seems closed," McDaniel says. There's also a networking gap. With few Black nurses already in leadership, fewer can benefit from the social and professional capital that comes from a relationship with someone near the top.

What institutions can do

Institutions have to be intentional. Norman recommends hiring managers and nurse executives partner with ethnic minority nursing organizations, a proven strategy for improving diversity in senior leadership. Proven steps institutions should adopt:

1. Build a culture of inclusion with a mission that represents all ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds.
2. Acknowledge that implicit bias is real and white privilege exists.
3. Name the gaps in diversity and work deliberately to close them.
4. Hold candid, open conversations with Black nurses, and follow up.
5. Run measurable surveys and commit to acting on the results.
6. Provide mentors to Black nurses.
7. Hire Black managers and administrators.
8. Set no-tolerance policies that protect Black nurses against racism.
9. Include Black nurses in decisions about how to hire and retain nurses.
10. Listen to Black nurses who have experienced institutional racism, then learn and correct.
11. Provide leadership development and continuing education.
12. Commit to cultural sensitivity training for all team members, including physician and provider partners.
13. Align with Black nursing organizations to expand networks of potential mentors and advisors.

"Black nurses need to feel valued, and providing these opportunities can help narrow the gap of racial inequality," Norman says.

Colleges and universities need to prioritize diversity too. To keep up with the country's demographic changes, they have catching up to do.

Advice for career advancement

Lapsley didn't land his current job the first time he applied. He's now director of Trauma, Emergency Services, Critical Care, and the Firefighters Burn Center at Regional One Health in Memphis. He'd met the education requirements, led special projects, facilitated committees, and had the support of key stakeholders, but after the initial interview it was clear he wasn't who they were looking for. He applied again and got the role.

"I believe it's important to never give up on what you are passionate about," he says. Going after a position twice shows perseverance. If you know you're right for it, keep pursuing it.

Mentorship matters in both directions. Becoming a mentor to other Black nurses is one of the most direct ways to support their rise, but that depends on Black nurses holding leadership roles in the first place. "It is vital to have Black nurses in leadership to serve as role models and mentors," Morgan says.

Norman adds that staying active in professional organizations and seeking specialization matters. Pursue certifications and advanced education. "You want to be an expert in your field," she says.

Nine tips for career advancement

• Find a mentor. Mentorship is foundational to leadership success, and finding the right one often takes active effort.
• Use social media. Find Black leaders online and message them with thoughtful questions. Build your professional presence and stay mindful of your personal one.
• Develop a plan. Follow it, and adjust as you go.
• Identify your core values. Build a personal leadership philosophy and stick to it.
• Learn to negotiate. Negotiation is a skill every nurse should have.
• Stay active in professional organizations. Stay informed and build relationships.
• Seek certifications and advanced education. Become an expert in your field.
• Keep your resume current. Prepare it professionally and update it periodically.
• Volunteer for committees or projects. Create space to collaborate across the organization.

For Black nurses, going after leadership is about the bigger picture. With so few in these roles, each one clears a path for the underrepresented nurse leaders who follow. That can't happen alone. It takes institutions and stakeholders making diversity and inclusion real, not just a talking point.