The Identification of the Requisite Knowledge and Relevant Role Activities by Nurse Administrators and the Relationship of These to Their Educational Preparation and Management Level

Abstract

The purpose.of this descriptive correlational study was to identify the requisite knowledge and relevant role activities needed by nurse administrators to successfully enact their roles (first, mid, and top) and the relationship of these role knowledge areas and role.activities to their educational preparation and management level. To achieve the study purpose, two research questions and three hypotheses were tested. A total of 226 subjects participated in the study: 156 first-line nurse administrators; 44 mid level administrators.; and 26 top level nurse administrators. The study population consisted of a convenience sample of nurse administrators from five hospitals in a Southeastern metropolitan area. Data were collected through the use of the Nurse Administrative Role Aetivities ·and Knowledge (NARAA~) tool. Descriptive statistics were utilized to address the first research question. To test the hypptheses related to the second research question, ANOVA were utilized-. All three hypotheses were supported at the p=.05 level. More specifically, 13 role activities and four requisiteknowlege areas were found to be significantly different for first level .. and .top level administrators. The majority of these items were related to leadership, management, and administration of human resources. Seven role activities and 11 requisite knowledge areas were found to differ on the basis of educational preparation. Nurse administrators at each organizational level identified significantly different role activities·relevant for.their successful role enactment, but did not identify different requisite role knowledge areas. There was no significant difference in how nurses with different academic degrees rated the relevance of role activities to the success of their role enactment on the basis of academic degree. Academic degree did, however, discriminate among respondents in the degree to which they rated the relevance of requisite knowledge areas to the success of their role enactment. Other findings, limitations, implications, and suggestions for further study were discussed.