Relevant Role Activities, Educational Preparation and Self-Perceived Competence of First-Level Nurse Managers in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive coo relational study was to determine the critical-role activities of head nurses in Kaohsiung City hospitals, Taiwan, R.O.C., and the adequacy of their educational preparation for and competence in enacting their roles. The subjects consisted of 29 head nurses who are currently functioning as first-level managers on inpatient units in five Kaohsiung City hospitals. The role activities section ( 41 items ) of The Nurse Administrator Role Activities And Administrative Knowledges ( NAKAAK) Questionnaire was used for data collection in this study. The mean scores for each role activity associated with a nurse managers role, were used to determine the relevance of, preparation for, and competence in performing first level management roles. Thirty-two role activities were rated by the subjects as most relevant role to th~ir enactment. They identified only one activity for which they perceived they were well prepared. They rated themselves very competent, however, in the performance of 35 of total 41 role activities. Pearson Product-Moment correlation coefficients were used to determine the·.relationships between their preparation and relevance, relevance and competence, and competence and preparation ratings. Moderate correlations were found between their preparation for and the relevance of 13 role activities. High correlations were found between the relevance of and competencein the performance of 1 0 role activities and moderate coo relations for-29. Moderate eorrelations between competence in the performance and preparation for were found for 14 role activities. The Chi-Square test was employed to test the relationships between - selected personal factors ( age, education, and tenure ) and their self perceived competence. Signifi"cant differences were found between nursing education and self perceived competence for eight activities. Several recommendations for further studies were drawn including the need for ongoing revision and updating of head nurses' job descriptions to reflect the changing reality of their role requirements and the need for ongoing managerial staff development and continuing education for head nurses. In addition, it is recommended that the NARAAK instrument used in this study be further tested by retesting the same sample group in fo_ur months. It will then be possible to achieve an estimate of reliability of the instrument for use in Taiwan.