Abstract:

The nurse manager has a central leadership role both for functional organization of the hospital wards and for the satisfaction and efficiency of the professional staff that he/she coordinates (Duffield et al., 2011; Espinoza et al., 2009; Wong et al., 2010). This professional role is complex and requires different management skills (Shirey, 2006), often undervalued by nurse managers who may live the responsibility of their role as a stressor (Kath et al., 2013; Kath et al., 2012; Stichler et al., 2011; Udod & Care, 2011). This situation may have negative effects on their physical and psychological health (Kath et al., 2012) and may influence the quality of job environment (Meyer et al., 2011).

Considering the wide literature about this topic is marked by a dispersion of the research and studies results that make difficult to know the characteristics and effective ways of interpreting this professional role, in this paper we aim to put together the findings of different research area (leadership, job psychology, management, communication) to draw the profile of an effective and efficient nurse manager. This profile, that collects the quality, ability, skills of a nurse manager to best perform his/her work, is also useful for nurse manager selection and for pre and post - university education. All this falls within the training approach built on the skills and abilities required by the nursing role. This approach may be considered a relevant educational orientation for appreciable results in the personnel management and the planning of staff career to achieve nurse’s job performance and job satisfaction (Chang et al., 2014).

References:
[1] Chang, Z-X, Yang, G-H & Yuani, W. (2014) Competency-based management effects on satisfaction of nurses and patients. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 1, 121–125.
[2] Duffield, C. M., Roche, M. A., Blay, N., & Stasa, H. (2011). Nursing unit managers, staff retention and the work environment. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20(1—2), 23—33.
[3] Espinoza, D.C., Lopez-Saldana, A., Stonestreet, J.S. (2009). The pivotal role of the nurse manager in healthy workplaces: implications for training and development. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly 32 (4), 327–334.
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[8] Stichler, J.F., Kath, L., Ehrhart, M., Gates, M.G. (2011). Predictors of nurse manager workplace stress. Communicating Nursing Research 44, 309.
[9] Udod, S.A., Care, W.D. (2011). Nurse managers’ work stressors and coping experiences: unravelling the evidence. Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership 24 (3), 57–72.
[10] Wong, C.A., Laschinger, H.K.S., Cummings, G.G. (2010). Authentic leadership and nurses’ voice behaviour and perceptions of care quality. Journal of Nursing Management 18 (8), 889–900.

Keywords:

Nurse manager, leadership, nurse training, job performance, job satisfaction.