PURPOSE: Span of Control defines the scope of the managers' responsibilities to manage nursing staff. This study was done to measure span of control of front-line nurse managers (FLNMs) in Korea hospitals resulting in improvement in their work efficiency. METHODS: A sample of 203 FLNMs from five tertiary hospitals was recruited and completed the questionnaires. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé, and Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: FLNMs had ‘narrow’ (n=8, 4.3%), ‘appropriate’ (n=161, 87.0%), and ‘wide’ (n=16, 8.6%) span of control. Span of control had significant correlations with the number of nurses (r=.63, p<.001), the number of non-nurses (r=.53, p<.001), units (r=.52, p<.001), staff (r=.83, p<.001), and programs (r=.67, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The research findings indicate that attention should be given to unit complexity, program diversity, total staff, and skills. Moreover, administrators of hospital and nursing departments need to provide systematic support in accordance with FLNMs’ wide span of control.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Korea ; Nurse Administrators* ; Nursing ; Nursing Staff ; Personnel Management ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND: The phenomenon of nursing turnover has been explained by organizational commitment, job satisfaction, or intent to stay in previous studies; yet the combined contribution of these factors to nurse turnover has not been examined. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop and test a turnover model which included professionalism, job-related variables, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to stay. METHOD: A total of 424 registered nurses in a university hospital completed a self-administered questionnaire including Professionalism Scale, Job Diagnostic Survey, Nurse Assessment Survey, and intention to stay. Nurses were classified as to whether they remained in or had left the organization 18 months after the survey. Multiple regression and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the model. RESULTS: Overall job satisfaction and intent to stay were the most important determinants of nursing turnover. Organizational commitment positively affected intent to stay and indirectly decreased turnover through intent to stay. Satisfaction with coworkers and supervisor were the most important factors in explaining overall job satisfaction. Satisfaction with pay, autonomy, and feedback from job also positively affected overall job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Using the results of the tested model nurse managers and administrators could predict turnover by monitoring its determinants, and ultimately reduce the turnover rate through early intervention.
Administrative Personnel ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Humans ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction ; Logistic Models ; Nurse Administrators ; Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was a descriptive study conducted to investigate the effects of intellectual capital on organizational performance of nurses in medium and small hospitals. METHODS: Data were collected from 241 nurses working in medium and/or small hospitals located in G City from August 10 to September 17, 2011. The measurement tools were the Intellectual Capital scale and Organizational Performance scale. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression with SPSS WIN 18.0 PC. RESULTS: Intellectual capital composed of human, customer, and structure capital had significant effects on organizational performance of nurses working in medium and small hospitals and explained 50.4% of the variance. CONCLUSION: In order to promote organizational performance of nurses, nursing managers and administrators need to invest more resources into the intellectual capital of the system including human, customer, and structure capital.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe hospice palliative nurses' experience of caring for terminal cancer patients. METHODS: Eleven hospice palliative nurses participated in the study. Data were collected through individual in-depth unstructured interviews with participants from November, 2012 to October, 2013. Theoretical sampling was used to the point of theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss' 'Grounded Theory Method.' RESULTS: From open coding, 25 sub-categories and 12 categories were identified. Analysis revealed that the core category was 'becoming stepping-stones between life and death enduring burdens', consisting of three phases: the phase of withdrawal, the phase of exertion, and the phase of maturity. Through this process, participants utilized various action/interactional strategies such as 'maintaining a distance', 'sharing intimate daily life', 'being a mediator for a peaceful death', 'grieving and remembering'. The consequences of these strategies were a transcendental perspective towards life and ambivalent feelings toward hospice nursing. CONCLUSION: In-depth understanding of the hospice palliative nurses' experience of caring for terminal cancer patients will guide nurse managers and policy makers to promote effective nursing strategies to better support hospice palliative nurses.
Administrative Personnel ; Clinical Coding ; Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Nurse Administrators ; Nursing ; Patient Care ; Qualitative Research ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: This study investigated the correlation between person-centered care (PCC) and nursing service quality of nurses in long-term care hospitals. METHODS: The subjects were 114 nurses working in 8 long-term care hospitals. Instruments for evaluating PCC and nursing service quality were used. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, two samples-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and Multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean of PCC was 3.25±0.45 out of 5 and the nursing service quality was 3.87±0.40. There were significant differences in PCC in terms of age and income satisfaction, the application of their opinions, the satisfaction of hospital managers, administrators and nurse managers. There were significant differences in nursing service quality according to age, position, the satisfaction of hospital managers, administrators and nurse managers. Nurses' PCC showed a significant positive correlation with nursing service quality. Factors influencing nursing service quality included PCC, their position and age and the most influencing one was PCC. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the PCC is the strongest affecting element to the quality of nursing service in long-term care hospitals. Therefore, the strategies to improve the practice of person-centered care should be carried out to enhance the quality of nursing service.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Long-Term Care* ; Nurse Administrators ; Nursing Services* ; Nursing* ; Patient-Centered Care ; Quality of Health Care

Vital to the prevention of work-related ill-health (WRIH) is the availability of good quality data regarding WRIH burden and risks. Physician-based surveillance systems such as The Health and Occupation Research (THOR) network in the UK are often established in response to limitations of statutory, compensation-based systems for addressing certain epidemiological aspects of disease surveillance. However, to fulfil their purpose, THOR and others need to have methodologic rigor in capturing and ascertaining cases. This article describes how data collected by THOR and analogous systems can inform WRIH incidence, trends, and other determinants. An overview of the different strands of THOR research is provided, including methodologic advancements facilitated by increased data quantity/quality over time and the value of the research outputs for informing Government and other policy makers. In doing so, the utility of data collected by systems such as THOR to address a wide range of research questions, both in relation to WRIH and to wider issues of public and social health, is demonstrated.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Incidence ; Occupations*

The purpose of this study was to compare the perception of nutritional education among school administrators, parents, and school nutrition teachers at an elementary school. Questionnaires were distributed to 450 subjects (150 school nutrition teachers, 150 school administrators, and 150 parents) from June 15 to June 30, 2009, and 309 (84 school nutrition teachers, 104 administrators, and 121 parents) were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows. First, school nutrition teachers' perceived level (4.54) of importance of nutritional education was significantly (P<0.001) higher compared to school administrators (4.10) and parents (3.97). Second, demand for revitalization of nutritional education as perceived by parents (3.23) was significantly (P<0.001) higher compared to school nutrition teachers (2.61) and school administrators (2.51). Third, parents' satisfaction level of elementary school nutritional education was 3.23, followed by those of school administrators (2.83) and school nutrition teachers (2.50). There were significant differences in terms of satisfaction of elementary school nutritional education between school administrators, parents, and school nutrition teachers (P<0.001). Fourth, school nutrition teachers' demand for revitalization of nutritional education was significantly (P<0.001) higher at 4.24 compared to both parents (3.76) and school administrators (3.46). Fifth, with regards to bolstering nutritional education in elementary schools, it was deemed necessary for each school to have a school nutrition teacher. In conclusion, perception of nutritional education varied among school administrators, parents, and school nutrition teachers. In conclusion, a communication network between school administrators, parents, and school nutrition teachers should be established for revitalization of nutritional education at elementary schools.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Parents ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Participants were 28 healthy people involved in genders, included smokers and non-smokers with age ranged from 18 to 50 years. Standard curve was established using 6 prepared sample kits of manufacturer with levels of 0, 4, 20, 80, 140 and 200ng/ml. The findings suggested that for technical standard, CEA quantification with IRMA using kits of France-based CIS Bio International was reliable, quality of kits and qualification skill is good. Average level of CEA maker in 28 subjects above is 4.19+/-2.35ng/ml with mean-point of 4.48, ranged from 0.00 to 8.37ng/ml. The most common level is 6.37ng/ml. Upper-marginal level is 2.59ng/ml and under-marginal level is 3.36ng/ml. There was insignificant difference between male and female.
Administrative Personnel ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; neoplasms

Over the past years, university administrators have known how hard it is to transform into the modern university. Rigid in-bred research system, narrow interest, unworkable graduate programs are complicatedly woven into a network of academic fraction. Cronyism and protectionism flood various laboratories and research institutes affiliated with the university. Until recently, the department structure of medical school has steadfastly guarded its territory and refused to allow non-medical undergraduate students to apply for the graduate schools of medical science. The graduate schools in medical science are considered just extra appendages because most of graduate students should be engaged in hard work position such as junior faculty or residentship training course of university hospital. In the present environment of graduate program, medical schools are consequently not able to bring in full-time young researchers, but only recently has its door been open for others. It should be time to reorganize the medical school graduate course into large multidisciplinary research group by expanding graduate programs.
Academies and Institutes ; Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Schools, Medical*

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore how hospital nurses decide to quit working as professional nurses using the grounded theory method. METHOD: The data was collected by individual in-depth interviews with 12 hospital nurses who recently resigned from work and it was analyzed using 'constant comparative analysis.' RESULT: The core category that emerged was "in search of new balance with self, work, and family". Three stages were identified: 1) "unconditionally accepting the working situation of itself," 2) "weighing advantages and disadvantages of working as a hospital nurse", and 3) "redesigning a future". Each stage contains three major strategies. The major strategies of the first stage are "maintaining a learning attitude", "enduring physical burnout," and "enduring unfair interpersonal relationships". The second stage contains "identifying advantages of working", "identifying disadvantages of working", and "comparing the advantages with the disadvantages". Lastly, the third stage includes "reassessing the aim of life", "beginning to construct an alternative life", and "deciding to quit working at a certain point". CONCLUSION: The results of the study will help nursing administrators in designing and implementing an effective turnover prevention program for nurses by understanding more deeply the process of turnover phenomenon among hospital nurses.
Administrative Personnel ; Humans ; Korea* ; Learning ; Nursing