Qualifications and experience: how well prepared are nurse managers compared to health service executives?

The purpose of the paper was to compare the demographic details, educational qualifications, professional support and career guidance experiences of two groups of health managers as reported in previous research. One group comprised nurse managers (Duffield et al 2001) and the other comprised senior health administrators (Harris, Maddern & Pegg 1998). Employment and education data from self-administered questionnaires were compared. Nurse managers were predominantly female (88%), while the administrators were 50% female. The nurse managers, although with a relatively equal rate of managerial qualifications as their health service counterparts, had not attained as many senior positions in health care administration. Over half had not had a mentor. Nurse managers have skills attained through their academic studies and experience that cause them to be as capable as (if not in some cases better than) health service administrators. Increased use of mentoring may provide opportunities for professional advancement in wider administrative areas.