This article discusses the development and psychometric testing of the Nursing Leadership Competency Assessment (LCA).

Several leadership assessments are available for purchase, which are aligned with professional organizations. A competency-based leadership assessment is needed to identify the developmental needs of nurse leaders. Competent and confident nurse managers are critical to ensure positive relationships between nurse managers and clinical nurses.

A multimethod approach was used to develop and test psychometric properties of the LCA. Items were drawn from 8 sources identifying nurse leader competencies.

The 76-item assessment had a Cronbach's α of 0.99. Confirmatory factor analysis supported 6 hypothesized factors (domains): leading self, people, organizations, change, innovation, and globally. Subscale reliabilities ranged from α = 0.87 to α = 0.98.

The LCA has demonstrated utility in assessing nurse leader competencies and guiding the development of educational opportunities in targeted content areas for specific leadership roles.