الفهرس 
Content
Factors driving continuing competenceOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Competence, assessment of competence, documentation of competent performance, and mandatory continuing competences are controversial topics receiving increasing emphasis in current manuscripts and conferences of all types, and at all levels. This focus on competence is directed both to those in academic and service sectors, a cross the spectrum from small colleges and enterprises to universities, and from local, to national, to global endeavors.
A broader view to approach competence is to reflect practice, context- specific knowledge and skills as elements of competent level of performance and includes the therapeutic caring relationship. Trust caring, communication skills, knowledge and adaptability are identified as attributes of competence together with emotion and values. Competence is manifested by empowering people, building relationships, facilitating knowledge development, making clinical judgments and taking actions on behalf of people.
The nurse manager fills one of the most critical first line-managing roles in the administration of nursing services. She is the person in a position linking nursing management to nursing care. This position is crucial in co-ordination and integrating the practice of nursing toward the attainment of primary goal of nursing services that of rendering a high level of nursing care to each patient in each unit.
A nurse manager is an administrative position within the medical profession. Nurse Managers work in human resource and information management. Although away from the clinical aspects of nursing managers work in a supportive role providing assistance with recruitment, hiring and budgeting.
The role of a nurse manager is also to contribute to management planning by determining the organizations immediate and future needs.
The present study was conducted with the aim of assess competence of nurses’ managers at different work environments, besides compare of their competence levels in different university hospital work environments at Assuit University Hospitals.
Tools of the data collection:-
1- Personal characteristics data.
To collect socio demographic data as name, age, department, marital status, educational level, position, years of experience and years of experience of the present position
2- Nurse Competence Scale (NCS).
The tool of the study is translated to Arabic by the researcher based on previous studies and related literature, the tool consists of seventy three items structured in seven competence categories: helping role (seven items), teaching- coaching (sixteen items), diagnostic functions (seven items), managing situations (eight items), therapeutic interventions (ten items), ensuring quality (six items) and work role competences (nineteen items)
Data collection:-
An official permission had been obtained to collect necessary data from administrative responsible personnel. A pilot study was fulfilled to test the questionnaire clarity, feasibility, and applicability. It was carried out on thirteen nurses’ managers from Assuit University Hospitals. The researcher met with each subject in the study to explain the purpose of the study and to ask for participation. After obtaining verbal consent, the study tool handle to participated nurse manager to be filled the data collection was done through individual meetings with participants to fill the questionnaire (structured interview). This took about twenty minutes for each participant. The whole duration for data collection took about three months from February to April 2008. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 12.
The results of the present study showed that most of nurses manager are married, aged less than thirty years, exactly half of them working in general and special units, the majority of them had bachelor of nursing sciences, the majority of them head nurses, more than one third of them had from 5-10 years of experience, while more than half of them had less than 10 years of experience in nursing administrative position. Nurses’ managers competences are excellent in most competent categories (working role, teaching coaching, managing situations, therapeutic interventions, helping role, and diagnostic functions). While, the present study was conducted with the aim of assess competence of nurses’ managers at different work environments, besides compare of their competence levels in different university hospital work environments at Assuit University Hospitals. The least competence in ensuring quality. Nurses’ managers’ competences are excellent in main assuit university hospital than other two hospitals, especially in emergency units, followed by operating rooms.
In the light of the study results, the following conclusions can be drawn:-
1- Nurses’ managers are excellent level of competence in work role category, followed by teaching coaching category, then in managing situation category.
2- Main Assiut University Hospital nurses’ managers are competent than Pediatric Hospital and Women Reproductive Health Hospitals in all competence categories.
3- The emergency units nurses’ managers are competent than other different work settings following by operating rooms.
Based on the forgoing conclusions, the following recommendations are proposed:-
1- Nurses’ managers need training programs to ensure quality of care in different work environments in Assiut University Hospital especially Pediatric and Women Hospitals.
2- Developing a career ladder for different nursing categories.
3- Performance appraisal tool specific for nursing categories to recognize and promote them based on career ladder.
4- More researches are needed to evaluate the outcomes of competencies not only in terms of individual nurses but also in terms of patient and unit outcomes.