If you only need the buying answer: rental is the cheapest short-term route in this snapshot. The current paperback is still below the sampled Amazon new price, below Kindle, and very close to the sampled used comparator, so print is not a bad buy. It just is not the absolute cheapest path for one course window.

Current price comparison

Format	Source	Price	Link
Paperback	Merybook	$58.23	Check price
Semester rental	eCampus	$43.73	Check price
Paperback	Amazon	$65.32	Check price
Used paperback	Amazon	$60.18	Check price
Kindle	Amazon	$77.90	Check price

What this book actually teaches

Exceptional Leadership: 16 Critical Competencies for Healthcare Executives is a competency-based leadership text about communication, strategy, accountability, systems thinking, and executive development in healthcare settings. Its value lies in giving readers a usable framework for leadership practice rather than only abstract management language.

That means the book can stay relevant for readers who move from class into supervision, coordination, or healthcare leadership roles. But it can also function as a one-term survey if the reader only needs it for the current course.

When print is still worth buying

The honest short-term answer is rental. But the current paperback remains competitively priced relative to the sampled used and new print options, and it is cheaper than Kindle. That gives ownership a reasonable case if you expect leadership competencies to remain part of your professional development after the current semester.

I would lean toward rental for a narrow course-bound need. I would lean toward print for readers who want a book they can keep using as they move deeper into healthcare leadership and management work.

Sources checked

• eCampus rental check
• Amazon print market check
• Amazon Kindle market check