Study: Findings describe nurse manager role preparation, competency

Editor's Note

Nurse executives need to evaluate the strength of their nursing leadership talent pool and develop policies and strategies that promote nurse manager competence, this study finds.

A survey of 647 nurse managers, who manage 964 patient care units in 54 hospitals found the following:

• They rated themselves as competent for their first 6 years as a manager.
• They said they begin to reach proficiency by year 7.
• Experience had the strongest association with competence, followed by graduate leadership education.

Approximately 70,000 nurses are retiring annually, which represents a significant loss of nursing leadership wisdom. More studies of nurse manager role preparation and competency development are needed, the researchers say.