PURPOSE
Span of Control defines the scope of the managers' responsibilities to manage nursing staff. This study was done to measure span of control of front-line nurse managers (FLNMs) in Korea hospitals resulting in improvement in their work efficiency.
METHODS
A sample of 203 FLNMs from five tertiary hospitals was recruited and completed the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé, and Pearson correlation coefficient.
RESULTS
FLNMs had ‘narrow’ (n=8, 4.3%), ‘appropriate’ (n=161, 87.0%), and ‘wide’ (n=16, 8.6%) span of control. Span of control had significant correlations with the number of nurses (r=.63, p<.001), the number of non-nurses (r=.53, p<.001), units (r=.52, p<.001), staff (r=.83, p<.001), and programs (r=.67, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
The research findings indicate that attention should be given to unit complexity, program diversity, total staff, and skills. Moreover, administrators of hospital and nursing departments need to provide systematic support in accordance with FLNMs’ wide span of control.

Citations

• Understanding the Impact of Span of Control on Nurse Managers and Hospital Outcomes
  Asiah Ruffin, Maria R. Shirey, Tracey Dick, Pariya L. Fazeli, Patricia A. Patrician
  Journal of Healthcare Management.2023; 68(3): 158.     CrossRef
• Nurse managers’ perception of governance among Korean nurses
  Sujin Choi
  Journal of Nursing Management.2021; 29(7): 2065.     CrossRef
• Experience in Nursing Unit Management on First Line Nurse Managers
  Mi Young Han, Sue Kyung Sohn, Yeon Sil Cho, Ick Jee Kim, Mi Suk Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2021; 27(3): 138.     CrossRef
• Factors Influencing Managerial Competence of Frontline Nurse Managers
  Ran Lee, Miyoung Kim, Sujin Choi, Hee Yeon Shin
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2018; 24(5): 435.     CrossRef