THE RELATIONSHIP OF EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION, MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO NURSE MANAGERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD PROFESSIONALISM.
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 141
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Education.; Health Sciences, Health Care Management.
Description: The purpose of this descriptive study was (a) to determine the nature of attitudes toward professionalism among nurse managers and (b) to explore the relationship of these attitudes of nurse managers to their educational preparation, management experiences and to the organizational structure of the nursing services department.

Based upon voluntary participation, the sample was composed of 122 nurse managers employed by three major medical centers. The cross-sectional groups included 78 first-line, 35 mid-level, and 9 top-level nurse managers.

Hall's Professional Inventory, as modified by Snizek (1972), was used to measure attitudinal attributes of professionalism among nurse managers. Hall's Organizational Inventory (1961, 1963, 1968) was used to measure nurse managers' perceptions of the organizational structure of the employing nursing services department. A Personal Data Form was used to elicit demographic and situational information about the respondents. A scheduled structured interview, with 6 nurse managers from each of the three medical centers, was completed to add support for validity of the data obtained through the use of questionnaires.

A one-way analysis of variance and Fisher's least significance difference test revealed a significant difference in reported attitudinal attributes of professionalism among nurse managers of different educational backgrounds (p $<$.05), management experiences (p $<$.01), and organizational settings (p $<$.01).

Major conclusions drawn from the findings were that nurse managers (1) increased in the professional attribute, sense of autonomy, with increased educational preparation, (2) increased in the professional attributes, use of professional organization and sense of calling to the field, with increased management experience, and (3) decreased in the professional attribute, belief in public service, according to the organizational structure of the employing nursing services department.

Possible causes for differences in professional attitudes among nurse managers also emerged from the data: role models in the work setting, rewarding of professional behavior by employers, and degree of centralization or decentralization within organizations. In light of these findings, additional research is recommended to (a) examine further the degree of professionalism among nurse managers, (b) search for factors which influence professional attitudes and (c) identify measures that could enhance the development of professional attitudes among nurse managers.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-08, Section: B, page: 3110.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1987.

School code: 0175.