What makes a hospital manager competent at the middle and senior levels?

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the core competencies required for middle to senior level managers in Victorian public hospitals in both metropolitan and regional/rural areas.

This exploratory mixed-methods study used a three-step approach which included position description content analysis, focus group discussions and online competency verification and identification survey.

The study validated a number of key tasks required for senior and middle level hospital managers (levels II, III and IV) and identified and confirmed the essential competencies for completing these key tasks effectively. As a result, six core competencies have been confirmed as common to the II, III and IV management levels in both the Melbourne metropolitan and regional/rural areas.

Six core competencies are required for middle to senior level managers in public hospitals which provide guidance to the further development of the competency-based educational approach for training the current management workforce and preparing future health service managers. With the detailed descriptions of the six core competencies, healthcare organisations and training institutions will be able to assess the competency gaps and managerial training needs of current health service managers and develop training programs accordingly.