Professional Development Needs of Nurse Managers
Authors: Miltner Rebecca S. , Jukkala Angela , Dawson Martha A. , Patrician Patricia A. 
Published: June 2015

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Read the article, “Professional Development Needs of Nurse Managers,” found on pages 252–258, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz.

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Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study.

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Objectives

Describe the professional development needs of unit-level nurse leaders.

Explain the importance of creating formal development programs within the health care organization.

Disclosure Statement

Neither the planners nor the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background:

Nurse managers have a key role in creating positive work environments where safe, high-quality care is consistently provided. This requires a broad range of skills to be successful within today’s complex health care environment; however, managers are frequently selected based on their clinical expertise and are offered little formal preparation for this leadership role.

Method:

We conducted three focus groups with 20 nurse managers to understand their professional development needs. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis.

Results:

Three themes emerged: Managing Versus Leading, Gaining a Voice, and Garnering Support. Managers focused on daily tasks, such as matching staffing to patient needs. However, the data suggested gaps in foundational management skills, such as understanding organizational behavior, use of data to make decisions, and refined problem-solving skills.

Conclusion:

Professional development activities focusing on higher level leadership competencies could assist managers to be more successful in this challenging, but critical, role.

J Contin Educ Nurs
. 2015;46(6):252–258.