PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate clinical nurses' perception on nursing managerial competencies. METHODS: This was a descriptive study. The data were collected from 198 nurse managers who had worked in six general hospitals using a self-reporting questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Importance-Performance Analysis. RESULTS: Only 32% of the participants had experienced nursing managerial competency training. The mean score for perceived performance of nursing managerial competency was lower than that for perceived importance. There were significant differences in perceived importance, performance, and importance-performance gaps among head, charge, and staff nurses. Importance-performance analysis showed that three of the 30 nursing managerial competencies require further development: staffing, human resources development and education, and nursing standard development competency. There were significant differences in importance-performance gaps according to age, career years in current hospital, work shift, position, nursing delivery system, and nursing managerial competency-education experience. CONCLUSION: A training program for developing and improving nursing managerial competencies which is focused on the gaps in importance and performance level is needed for clinical nurses. In addition, it should be considered to improve nursing work conditions such as nursing delivery system and formal appointment in order to increase the performance of nursing managerial competencies.
Education ; Head ; Hospital Administration ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Nurse Administrators ; Nursing* ; Professional Competence ; Staff Development

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the financial management educational needs of nurses in order to development an educational program to strengthen their financial management competencies. METHODS: Data were collected from two focus groups using the nominal group technique. The study consisted of three steps: a literature review, focus group discussion using the nominal group technique, and data synthesis. RESULTS: After analyzing the results, nine key components were selected: corporate management and accounting, introduction to financial management in hospitals, basic structure of accounting, basics of hospital accounting, basics of financial statements, understanding the accounts of financial statements, advanced analysis of financial statements, application of financial management, and capital financing of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings can be used to develop a financial management education program to strengthen the financial management competencies of nurse.
Adult ; Education, Nursing, Continuing/*methods ; Financial Management/*methods ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Needs Assessment ; *Nurses ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*education ; Republic of Korea

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a tailored simulation learning (SL) program and to evaluate the effects of the program on the clinical competency, clinical decision-making competency, and communicative competency of new nursing staffs in intensive care units (ICU) and emergency rooms (ER). METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, fifteen nurses were assigned to the experimental group and fifteen to the control group. The experimental group was given the SL program of four sessions, whereas the lectures of four sessions were given to the control group. Data were analyzed using a chi2-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test with an SPSS program. Analysis of covariance was used to treat the covariate of pre communicative competency between the experimental and control groups. RESULTS: Based on the education needs of new nursing staffs in ICUs and ERs, three learning scenarios and one evaluating scenario were developed for the SL program. The score for clinical competency, clinical decision-making competency, and communicative competency were significantly higher in the experimental group compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: The SL program is an effective learning strategy for new nursing staffs in ICUs and ERs. These findings suggest that an SL program be offered as an alternative for new nurse orientation and continuing nurse education.
Competency-Based Education ; Education ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Learning* ; Lectures ; Nursing Staff* ; Patient Simulation

PURPOSE: To examine geographical imbalances by analyzing new graduate nurses' migration patterns among regions where they grew up, attended nursing school, and had their first employment and to identify factors related to working in non-metropolitan areas. METHODS: The sample consisted of 507 new graduates working in hospitals as full-time registered nurses in South Korea. Migration patterns were categorized into 5 patterns based on sequential transitions of "geographic origin-nursing school-hospital." Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with working in non-metropolitan hospitals. RESULTS: Nurses who grew up, graduated, and worked in the same region accounted for the greatest proportion (54%). Sixty-five percent had their first employment in the region where they graduated. Nurses tended to move from poor to rich regions and from non-metropolitan to metropolitan areas. Working in non-metropolitan hospitals was related to older age, the father having completed less than 4 years of college education, non-metropolitan origin, non-capital city school graduation, and a diploma (vs. baccalaureate) degree. CONCLUSION: Admitting students with rural backgrounds, increasing rural nursing school admission capacities, and providing service-requiring scholarships, particularly for students from low-income families, are recommended to address geographical imbalances.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate ; Employment ; Female ; Hospitals, Rural ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Poverty ; Professional Practice Location

PURPOSE: To develop a web-based program on blood-borne infection control and to examine the effect of the newly developed program on perceived threat of diseases, knowledge, preventive health behaviors for blood-borne infections, and incidence rates of accidental needle sticks and other sharp object injuries in nurses. METHODS: The program was developed through the processes of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The research design involved a nonequivalent control group for pretest and posttest experiments. The setting was a 745-bed general hospital located in Korea. RESULTS: The program was designed and developed after consulting previous studies. After development of the program was completed, it was evaluated and revised by a panel of experts. The total score for perceived threat of diseases, knowledge, preventive health behaviors in the experimental group was significantly higher compared to the control group (p<.05). The incidence rates for needle sticks and other sharp object injuries in the experimental group were significantly lower compared to the control group (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Application of a Web-based, blood-borne infection control program is effective, and can be expanded to other healthcare workers who also have a high risk of blood-borne infections.
Adult ; *Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Infection Control/*methods ; *Internet ; Needlestick Injuries ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/education/*psychology ; Occupational Exposure/*prevention & control ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate nurses' knowledge of, and compliance with the multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection control guidelines. METHODS: A survey questionnaire was developed based on the institutional and national guidelines and was administered to a convenience sample of 306 nurses in a university hospital. RESULTS: The mean score for knowledge was 33.87 (percentage of correct answers: 82.61%). The percentages of correct answers for basic concepts, route of transmission, hand washing/protective devices and environment management were 74.27%, 94.29%, 92.90% and 75.54% respectively. The mean compliance score was 4.15 (range: 1-5). The compliance scores for education, communication, contact precaution, disinfection, surveillance culture, and hand washing were 3.29, 4.05, 4.20, 4.50, 4.40 and 4.48 respectively. Nurses indicated "lack of time (30.06%)", "lack of means (10.78%)" and "lack of knowledge (9.48%)" as reasons for noncompliance. CONCLUSION: While most educational programs have focused on hand washing or use of protective devices to prevent transmission of MDRO in acute care settings, hospital nurses' knowledge of the basic concepts of MDRO and environmental management has remained insufficient. Nurses are relatively non-compliant to the guidelines in the areas of education (staff, patient, family) and communication. Comprehensive educational programs are needed to decrease hospital infection rates and to improve the health of patients.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Female ; Guideline Adherence ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Infection Control/methods/*standards ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/education/*psychology ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to compare edema and pain after completing a nurse's daily shift and to examine the effects of self leg massage which was usually used for reducing nurses' lower extremity edema and pain after their shift. METHODS: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Study subjects wer 81 nurses who took a self leg massage program created by the researcher. Self leg massage was done 15 times during 3 weeks. Data were collected from September 21 to October 31, 2007. The level of lower extremity edema was measured by ankle and calf circumference by a tapeline in cm and the pain score was measured by using a subjective numbering rating scale. Data were analyzed with the SPSS 12.0 program using statistics of repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in pain according to the department. There was a statistically significant difference in lower extremity edema and pain in nurses after their shift and self leg massage. CONCLUSION: Self leg massage was effective for relieving nurses' lower extremity edema and pain. Therefore, it is proposed that standardized self leg massage should be applied as a method for nurses' lower extremity edema and pain.
Adult ; Edema/*therapy ; Education, Nursing, Continuing ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; *Leg/physiology ; *Massage ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Pain/*therapy ; Pain Measurement ; Self Care ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the sustainable effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) reeducation on nurses' knowledge and skills. METHODS: A repeated experimental design was used for a single sample group of 47 nurses working for a general hospital. The nurses were tested on their skill of CPR 3 times at an interval of 4 months. In order to test nurses' knowledge and skills, the researcher used a CPR assessment program linked to an adult practice doll (Anne). RESULTS: 1) The amount of decrease of nurses' knowledge about CPR between points of time was wide between the first and second points of time but small between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation between the two points of time. 2) Nurses' skills between the first and second time dropped but they improved between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation. CONCLUSION: As confirmed by the above findings, reeducation of CPR clearly affects nurses' knowledge and skills. Given the fact that the same period of time (4 months) elapsed between the 3 tests, it could be argued that the reeducation at the second test served to maintain nurses' knowledge and enhance their skills.
Adult ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/*education/nursing ; *Clinical Competence ; Cognition ; Education, Professional, Retraining ; Emergency Medical Services ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*education/psychology ; Retention (Psychology)

PURPOSE: Effective communication is an essential aspect of nursing care. This qualitative study was performed to analyze nurse-patient conversations about medication. METHOD: The nurse-patient dialogue was collected by video tape recording during the nurse's duty time in an internal medicine ward. One hundred seventy-eight episodes were extracted from the conversation. Using conversational analysis, the functional phases and patterns of dialogue sequence pertaining to medication were analyzed. RESULTS: Conversations about medication were very brief dialogues, so 68.8% of the dialogue had a duration of less than 20 seconds. However, it was a systematic and comprehensive dialogue which had structures and sequential dialogue patterns. Four functional phases were explored: greeting, identifying the patient, medicating, finishing. The medicating phase was essential, in which the nurse gave the drug to the patient and provided information initiated by the nurse simultaneously. The patterns of the dialogue sequence represented were the nurse provided information first, and then, patients responded to the nurse as accepting, rejecting, raising an objection, or asking again later. CONCLUSION: As the results of this study show, a nurse's role is important as an educator. For effective conversation about medication, the development of an educational program should be considered, which includes knowledge about medication and communication skills.
*Communication ; Drug Therapy/*psychology ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Nurse's Role/*psychology ; *Nurse-Patient Relations ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Tape Recording

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to verify the effects of an education program of restraints use on nurses' knowledge, attitude and nursing performance related to restraints use. METHOD: A quasi experimental study with a pre and post non-equivalent design was used. The subjects were nurses who met the selection criteria and worked in intensive care units of two university hospitals located at K-city, Gyeongbuk. Twenty nurses in A hospital were designated as the experimental group and 20 nurses in B hospital as the control group. RESULT: The first hypothesis which assumed that the experimental group would have higher scores of knowledge than the control group was supported(F=62.66, p=0.000). The second hypothesis which assumed that the experimental group would have lower scores of attitude toward using restraints than the control group was supported(F=23.77, p=0.000). The third hypothesis which assumed that the experimental group would have higher scores of nursing performance than the control group was supported(F=3.28, p=0.032). CONCLUSION: An education program for nurses' on the use of restraints needs to be introduced to decrease inappropriate use of restraints.
Adult ; *Education, Nursing, Continuing ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*education ; Restraint, Physical/*utilization