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Preparing nurses for their role in management
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EDITORIAL
Preparing nurses for their role in management Perhaps it is the number of changes we have all been experiencing for so long- or maybe we have all been so taken up with reforming nurse education, but it seems to me that the implications of current changes in nurse management have taken many of us by surprise. So often recently as I have contacted a nurse manager in relation to a teaching commitment I hear of yet another post about to disappear. The resulting redundancy is traumatic for those who have performed a difficult job well and had not planned to retire yet. There has also been disquiet about the loss of a nursing voice or influence in health service management. Yet these changes are also great opportunities for the nursing professions to have power and influence on the standards and quality of service; op~rtunities to innovate and to implement research findings in ways which were often missing before. Theopportunities will be there to the extent that nurses are able and prepared to contribute in multi-disciplinary teams to meet the two major objectives of the NHS reforms: to make our health service more responsive to patients and the public * to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources. l
There have been investigations into the management development needs of nurses but while there are a variety of different types of role currently occupied by senior nurses there is still debate about what are appropriate roles for nurses in the new organisational structures (Balogh & Bond 1992). According to Shirley Watt ‘The evolving roles and functions of nurses require them to position themselves in areas of power and influence in purchaser, provider and community units specilicalfy to address: l
health policy, planning cation
and resource
allo-
l l
l
managing the delivery of the nursing services provision of jointly managed care to the community appropriate undergraduate and pre-registration training programmes.’ (Watt S 1992)
Preparation for the new nursing therefore begins at pre-registration level with greater emphasis on nursing epidemiology, policies and planning. If nurses are to pull their weight in the multi-disciplinary team they will need to understand not only the background to health service planning and resource allocation, but also the nursing policies which should guide decision making (see Robinson 1992). They should also be able to obtain and use information as a basis for planning and much of that data will be epidemiology - and some of it nursing. We should be fast developing nursing epidemiology! (see conference paper from University of Edinburgh 1982) Ward managers are also needing preparation for the new management role as they become responsible to the Clinical Directorate rather than nurse managers. They are collecting and using information as a basis for planning and budgeting for the delivery of quality nursing service. They need to be able to argue their case effectively as members of a muiti-djscipIinary team and should be able to participate in the decision making and evaluation of the quality of care given. ‘Not new things to do but new ways of doing things’ (Balogh and Bond 1992). So it is time to revise the curriculum again. We should no longer be surprised at the rapidity of change, but I wonder how many teachers are organised to prepare nurses for the new manor conagement roles - in pre-registration tinuing education programmes? It was the current projects to prepare nurses, especially ward managers for their new role which caught my eye (e.g. Management 81
82
NURSE EDUCATION
TODAY
Development Group 1992). However there are continuing challenges to develop the ‘dynamic’ curriculum. As the Community into force community nurses
Care Act comes need guidance
about new roles and ‘new ways of doing things’. Then there is Nurse Prescribing coming on line. On place to discuss all these issues is of course our own conference. This year it is in Derby and promises
to be as stimulating
as usual. I look
forward to meeting you there!
References Balogh R, Bond S 1992 New ways of doing things. The training and development needs of nurses for senior management roles. Centre for Health Services
Research (Report No 55). University of Newcastle on Tyne Management Development Group 1992 Using information in managing the nursing resource - The Rainbow Project, MDG. Scottish Health Services Centre, Edinburgh Robinson J 1992 Introduction: beginning the study of nursing. In: Robinson J, Gray A, Elkan R (eds) Policy issues in nursing. Open University Press, Milton Keynes University of Edinburgh 1982 Research - a base for the future (Conference Proceedings). University of Edinburgh Nursing Research Unit, Edinburgh Watt S 1992 The role and preparedness of nurses in management. In: The NHS in Scotland Management Development Group of the Manpower Directorate of the Management Executive. Scottish Health Services Centre, Edinburgh
JEAN F. WALKER
In this issue
Post script
Elizabeth Girot reviews literature on the assessment of clinical competence and we have a report on a study of test anxiety and coping responses. Kate Merle and Chris Maggs report on a fruitful use of workshops to obtain experts’ opinions to facilitate planning. We also have some further thoughts about participating in experiential learning exercises from David P&ford. Two authors identify another gap in nurse education - on substance misuse. Perhaps one of the more unusual proposals this time comes from Addle Atkinson. she uses music to help students in evaluating a course. I wonder how the choice of music influences the outcome!
I understand there are still some copies of the main conference papers from last year. So if you missed the third annual Nurse Education Tomorrow and would like to have copies of the main papers contact Lovemore Nyatanga, Vice-Principal, Derbyshire Institute of Health & Community Studies, College of Nursing & Midwifery, Ryneld Road, Littleover, Derby DE3 7BH and enclose a large self addressed envelope (and a cheque for f4).
EDITORIAL
Preparing nurses for their role in management Perhaps it is the number of changes we have all been experiencing for so long- or maybe we have all been so taken up with reforming nurse education, but it seems to me that the implications of current changes in nurse management have taken many of us by surprise. So often recently as I have contacted a nurse manager in relation to a teaching commitment I hear of yet another post about to disappear. The resulting redundancy is traumatic for those who have performed a difficult job well and had not planned to retire yet. There has also been disquiet about the loss of a nursing voice or influence in health service management. Yet these changes are also great opportunities for the nursing professions to have power and influence on the standards and quality of service; op~rtunities to innovate and to implement research findings in ways which were often missing before. Theopportunities will be there to the extent that nurses are able and prepared to contribute in multi-disciplinary teams to meet the two major objectives of the NHS reforms: to make our health service more responsive to patients and the public * to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources. l
There have been investigations into the management development needs of nurses but while there are a variety of different types of role currently occupied by senior nurses there is still debate about what are appropriate roles for nurses in the new organisational structures (Balogh & Bond 1992). According to Shirley Watt ‘The evolving roles and functions of nurses require them to position themselves in areas of power and influence in purchaser, provider and community units specilicalfy to address: l
health policy, planning cation
and resource
allo-
l l
l
managing the delivery of the nursing services provision of jointly managed care to the community appropriate undergraduate and pre-registration training programmes.’ (Watt S 1992)
Preparation for the new nursing therefore begins at pre-registration level with greater emphasis on nursing epidemiology, policies and planning. If nurses are to pull their weight in the multi-disciplinary team they will need to understand not only the background to health service planning and resource allocation, but also the nursing policies which should guide decision making (see Robinson 1992). They should also be able to obtain and use information as a basis for planning and much of that data will be epidemiology - and some of it nursing. We should be fast developing nursing epidemiology! (see conference paper from University of Edinburgh 1982) Ward managers are also needing preparation for the new management role as they become responsible to the Clinical Directorate rather than nurse managers. They are collecting and using information as a basis for planning and budgeting for the delivery of quality nursing service. They need to be able to argue their case effectively as members of a muiti-djscipIinary team and should be able to participate in the decision making and evaluation of the quality of care given. ‘Not new things to do but new ways of doing things’ (Balogh and Bond 1992). So it is time to revise the curriculum again. We should no longer be surprised at the rapidity of change, but I wonder how many teachers are organised to prepare nurses for the new manor conagement roles - in pre-registration tinuing education programmes? It was the current projects to prepare nurses, especially ward managers for their new role which caught my eye (e.g. Management 81
82
NURSE EDUCATION
TODAY
Development Group 1992). However there are continuing challenges to develop the ‘dynamic’ curriculum. As the Community into force community nurses
Care Act comes need guidance
about new roles and ‘new ways of doing things’. Then there is Nurse Prescribing coming on line. On place to discuss all these issues is of course our own conference. This year it is in Derby and promises
to be as stimulating
as usual. I look
forward to meeting you there!
References Balogh R, Bond S 1992 New ways of doing things. The training and development needs of nurses for senior management roles. Centre for Health Services
Research (Report No 55). University of Newcastle on Tyne Management Development Group 1992 Using information in managing the nursing resource - The Rainbow Project, MDG. Scottish Health Services Centre, Edinburgh Robinson J 1992 Introduction: beginning the study of nursing. In: Robinson J, Gray A, Elkan R (eds) Policy issues in nursing. Open University Press, Milton Keynes University of Edinburgh 1982 Research - a base for the future (Conference Proceedings). University of Edinburgh Nursing Research Unit, Edinburgh Watt S 1992 The role and preparedness of nurses in management. In: The NHS in Scotland Management Development Group of the Manpower Directorate of the Management Executive. Scottish Health Services Centre, Edinburgh
JEAN F. WALKER
In this issue
Post script
Elizabeth Girot reviews literature on the assessment of clinical competence and we have a report on a study of test anxiety and coping responses. Kate Merle and Chris Maggs report on a fruitful use of workshops to obtain experts’ opinions to facilitate planning. We also have some further thoughts about participating in experiential learning exercises from David P&ford. Two authors identify another gap in nurse education - on substance misuse. Perhaps one of the more unusual proposals this time comes from Addle Atkinson. she uses music to help students in evaluating a course. I wonder how the choice of music influences the outcome!
I understand there are still some copies of the main conference papers from last year. So if you missed the third annual Nurse Education Tomorrow and would like to have copies of the main papers contact Lovemore Nyatanga, Vice-Principal, Derbyshire Institute of Health & Community Studies, College of Nursing & Midwifery, Ryneld Road, Littleover, Derby DE3 7BH and enclose a large self addressed envelope (and a cheque for f4).