Development of a competency framework for nurse managers in Ireland

This article describes the results of an Irish national study on the Competency Model for Nursing Management commissioned by the Office of Health Management. More than 300 nurse managers and 80 service stakeholders (other professionals, managers, and service colleagues) participated in the development of generic competencies for nurse managers and specific competencies for three levels of managers-director level, middle manager level, and front-line managers. Examples of behavioral indicators (both positive and negative) for each competency level also have been delineated. Future efforts are being directed toward evaluating the usefulness of the competency model for assessing readiness to manage among job applicants, implementation of continuing education programs for nurse managers, and overall career development and planning.