CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES OF SUCCESS AND DERAILMENT OF CHIEF NURSING OFFICERS IN ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 184
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Business Administration, Management.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: A descriptive study to identify critical attributes associated with success and derailment in the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) role, as perceived by nurse executives and hospitals CEOs. Increased success and decreased turnover in the CNO role is perceived to be important to the viability of the acute care hospitals. CNOs are reported to have an average tenure of four years with an average turnover rate of 25%. This is the highest reported turnover rate of any role in the acute care hospital. Within this study, derailment is defined as an individual thought to have the attributes required to be successful, but was fired or demoted within the first five years in the position, thus derailed from his or her chosen career path (at least temporarily).

An investigator designed survey was used to measure perception of environmental, job, and personal attributes ascribed to the role. A mixed sampling design was used to include CNOs and CEOs employed in acute care hospitals located throughout the United States. The response rate was 36% with 142 usable surveys for analysis.

Successful CNOs worked in an environment that was stable, without CEO turnover and had sound hospital financial performance. The job included participation and strategic functions at the entire hospital level. The attributes of "ethical," "integrity," "honesty," and "dependable" characterized this person.

Derailed CNOs worked in an environment where the CEO was likely to have changed. The job was centered on the department of nursing, rather than the organization as a whole. The attributes that describe the derailed CNO are those of a change agent with a tendency to be demanding.

The findings of this study suggest that attributes can be identified for success and derailment. These attributes are not opposite, but rather describe different characteristics that lead to success or derailment. Ninety-four of the 104 attributes on the survey reported high reliability. There was greater agreement on the derailment attributes (85%) than the success attributes (66%) between CNOs and CEOs. Financial knowledge, and relationships at the executive level were rated higher by CNOs than by CEOs on both the success and derailed attributes.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-02, Section: B, page: 0993.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1996.

School code: 0055.