The Development and Effectiveness of Leadership and Management Program for Enhancing the Nursing Managers Competency: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Posttest Study

Abstract

Nurse managers are vital in managing their workplace and providing high-quality, safe nursing care. Health organizations require qualified managers with leadership and management knowledge and skills to provide healthy work environments and enhance the outcomes related to staff nurses and patients. It is imperative to offer nursing managers an educational program about leadership and management competencies to ensure their readiness to accomplish their roles. Developing leadership and management competency intervention programs is critical to improving the nurse managers' competency and effectiveness and driving team and organizational performance. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the impact of a leadership and management competency intervention program among front- and second-line nurse managers. A quasi-experimental design with one group. The study involved 48 front-line and second-line nursing leaders from 25 health institutions, including hospitals and primary healthcare facilities. Self-assessment questionnaires on leadership competency and effectiveness, as well as a program satisfaction scale, were used. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25 and represented in percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Statistical significance among variables was considered at a p-value less than 0.05. The research findings suggest that a leadership and management training program had a notable impact on the development of nurse managers. The difference between the nurses' pre-and post-test scores and managerial competency levels was statistically significant (Z=-4.201, p<0.05). Specifically, the mean score increased from 2.03 in the pre-test to 2.40 in the post-test, indicating a significant improvement. The improvement was particularly pronounced in operational succession planning, delegating roles, managing staff shortages, staff performance, conflict resolution, change process, and emotional intelligence and communication. Notably, competencies related to operational plan, key performance indicators and evidence-based practice were the same. It was observed that a relatively low percentage (33.3%) of the participants had previously undergone formal leadership training, suggesting a significant potential for further growth and improvement in nurse managers. The results of this study underscore the critical need for leadership competency intervention programs in healthcare settings. A program aimed at enhancing head nurses' leadership competencies resulted in increased leadership competence and effectiveness. It is therefore recommended that such programs be developed and implemented to equip head nurses with the necessary leadership skills to fulfil their management roles effectively and to support them in becoming proficient nurse leaders. The urgency and importance of this recommendation cannot be overstated, and adequate resources must be allocated to establish and sustain such programs.