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AbstractNurses in leadership roles face a variety of ethical challenges that are distinct from those faced by nurses working in direct care roles. Clinical ethicists ought to understand these challenges and the various roles of the nurse leader so they may better support these leaders and their staff. Nursing ethics focuses on relational obligations, and these often shift when a nurse transitions into a leader role. Relational obligations can be in tension with one another and vary depending on the role of the nurse leader and where they are situated within the organizational structure. While ethical competency in leadership correlates with positive outcomes for staff and healthcare organizations, nurse leaders' education and experience with ethics and ethical leadership are variable. Nurse leaders can offer important perspectives relevant to ethically challenging situations and have the potential to amplify the voices of direct care nurses and promote an ethical climate. In this article, we offer insight into the unique ethical challenges and perspectives of nurse leaders and make concrete recommendations for clinical ethicists to better support these colleagues.
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Small et al. (2026) studied this question.
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