Purpose
The study aimed to identify the factors impacting nurse unit managers’ knowledge and ability importance of managerial competencies.
Methods
The participants were 200 nurse unit managers who worked at general hospitals or tertiary care hospitals. Data were collected from February 1 to June 30, 2021, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, paired t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression analysis with IBM SPSS/WIN 26.0.
Results
Nurse unit managers perceived the ability of managerial competencies to be less important than knowledge thereof. Overall, nurse unit managers perceived the importance of human and technical competencies as the most important, while the importance of financial managerial competency as the lowest. The significant predictors of knowledge and ability importance of managerial competencies were ‘nursing environment’ and ‘research experience’, and the input variables explained 34% of knowledge importance and 25% of ability importance.
Conclusion
Nurse administrators should continue to pay attention to the nursing environment, provide nursing unit managers with opportunities to conduct various research and provide related education.

Purpose
This study aimed to identify nursing students’ experience with the Nursing Management Practicum based on the service design concept to provide a basis for an ideal subject design. Methods: This study was a qualitative research that analyzed the experience of students and their clinical instructors based on the blueprint of Nursing Management Practicum. Focus group interviews were conducted with 13 graduates from two nursing schools and 11 clinical instructors from three hospitals. Results: The students went through six stages during the practicum. They met clinical instructors during the ward orientation and learning activities in wards and met school instructors during the general orientation and conference. The students perceived the learning activities and teaching from the clinical instructors in wards as the most important practicum factors. Conclusion: This study provided information which helped us to understand nursing students’ experience with the Nursing Management Practicum as the time passed by. This information can be used to improve students’ experience with the practicum and convert the subject into a more learner-centered education.

Purpose
This study aimed to develop a strength coaching program and verify its effects on positive psychological capital, coaching leadership, and organizational commitment for front-line nurse managers. Methods: The participants were first-line nursing managers working in two general hospitals, and a total of 25 participants comprised the experimental (n=12) and control (n=13) groups. The strength coaching program was implemented for 6 weeks from November 13 to December 18, 2017, and the intervention group received the strength coaching program for 2 h, once a week. Data were collected pre, post, and after (4 weeks later), and analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance using the SAS 9.4 program. Results: The strength coaching program was developed as a process of understanding, reflecting, and utilizing the concepts and characteristics of positive psychology and strengths, and applied to nursing managers, but it did not affect their positive psychological capital, coaching leadership, and organizational commitment. Conclusion: The results of this study were not significant, but the study is meaningful in that the strength coaching program was developed and applied to front-line nursing managers, and various methodological aspects to be considered in future studies were presented.

Citations

• The Influence of Positive Psychological Capital, Perceived Value of Work, and Nurse Practice Environment on Retention Intention in Small-Medium Sized Hospital Nurses
  Su Hye Kwon, Miseon Bang, Young Kyoung Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2024; 30(3): 189.     CrossRef

Purpose
This study to identify valuated the competency in nursing leadership among new nurses through the perception of nursing managers. Methods: This a total of 136 nursing managers from two general hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area were included in this study. Nursing leadership competencies in new nurses were measured using the Student Leadership Practices Inventory developed by Kouzes and Posner. We identified priorities in the development of nursing leadership competencies for new nurses. Results: The overall importance and performance of nursing leadership competencies for new nurses were assessed by nursing managers at an average of 3.92±0.37 and, 2.84±0.50, respectively. Of the 30 nursing leadership competencies, 11 would need to be maintained and strengthened, seven would need to focus on improvement efforts, and 11 would have low priority. The last one was overdone. Conclusion: Of the 18 items of high importance based on the nursing leadership competencies among new nurses identified, for seven items indicating low performance, the performance of nurses should be improved by introducing nursing leadership development programs after they enter the work environment. Eleven low-priority nursing leadership competencies require a long-term strategic approach and need to spread the understanding of nursing leadership throughout the nursing organization.

Purpose
This study aimed to explore the nursing unit management experience of frontline nurse managers using the phenomenological research method. Method: Data was gathered using in-depth interviews from 11 participants between July 2017 to December 2019, and analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach. The main question was, “What is your experience of nursing unit management as a frontline nurse manager?”. Results: In this study, 5 themes and 14 themes clusters were derived. The 5 themes were ‘Object of condemnation from many parties involved’, ‘Constant struggle to lower nursing staff turnover’, ‘Serve as an intermediary between active staff’, Creating a workplace troubleshooting and work flow system’, and ‘Bearing fruits after overcoming difficulties’ Conclusion: Based on our findings, frontline nurse managers are focused on human resource management and coordination. A comprehensive understanding of the experiences of frontline nurse managers could provide effective education and strategic proposals for administrative and individual support.

Citations

• Management of resources during COVID-19 pandemic at an academic hospital in Gauteng, South Africa: nurse managers’ experiences
  Kagiso Prince Tukisi, Mmaphala Mavis Matshidza, Jacobeth Mmabyala Louisa Malesela
  BMC Nursing.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Influence of Emotional Intelligence of Experienced Nurses on Nursing Managerial Competence: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Communication Competence
  Yunji Kang, Jeong-Hee Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2024; 30(1): 79.     CrossRef
• Current Practices of Physiotherapists in Implementing Psychologically Informed Physical Therapy in Chronic Pain Management: A Scoping Review
  Eunice Garces, John Marco Recio, Viviana Patricia Rios, Janine Patricia Sadiz, Anna Barbara Sanchez
  Philippine Journal of Physical Therapy.2024; 3(2): 26.     CrossRef
• Mediating Effect of Leader-Member Exchange on the Ethical Leadership of Nursing Unit Managers and Turnover Intention of Clinical Nurses: A Nationwide Survey using Proportional Quota Sampling
  Jihun Kim, Sunmi Kim, Nara Han, Seok Hee Jeong
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2024; 30(1): 42.     CrossRef
• Exploring the Experiences of Nurse Managers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
  Hyunjin Jang, Eun-Mi An, Ki-Eun Kim, Yoounjoong Jung, Youjung Choi, Sue Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2022; 28(4): 460.     CrossRef

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