An overview to the theory, research, and issues shaping nursing leadership in Canada and international health communities. Students will explore the history of leadership in health care, and the sociopolitical context in which it operates; analyze current and future issues affecting health care leadership, and apply the role of nursing leadership to that context. Nurses who bring disciplinary nursing knowledge about health promotion, patient responses to illness, interpersonal and inter-professional communication, population health, and the social contexts of health and illness together with emerging knowledge regarding health care organizations and leadership theory are in a unique position to provide highly effective leadership to today's changing, complex healthcare environments.