Imposter phenomenon: recognising and addressing it among nurses
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Imposter phenomenon: recognising and addressing it among nurses

Vanessa Coelho Lecturer in nursing education and clinical leadership, King’s College London, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To increase your understanding of imposter phenomenon

  • To understand the effects of imposter phenomenon for nurses and healthcare organisations

  • To learn about how healthcare organisations and higher education institutions can address imposter phenomenon

Imposter phenomenon is described as persistently doubting one’s accomplishments, leading to an internalised fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud’. This article identifies the nature and prevalence of imposter phenomenon among nursing students, newly registered nurses and senior nurses. It also explores the effects of this phenomenon for nurses and healthcare organisations, including its potential association with burnout, suboptimal performance and a lack of career development. Evidence suggests that addressing imposter phenomenon is not something individuals can accomplish by themselves, but that it requires system-level interventions from healthcare organisations and higher education institutions. This could raise awareness, promote recognition and improve resources and training to mitigate the detrimental effects of this phenomenon on healthcare provision.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12277

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

vanessa.coelho@kcl.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Coelho V (2024) Imposter phenomenon: recognising and addressing it among nurses. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12277

Published online: 08 July 2024

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