Getting safely through the shift: a qualitative exploration of the administrative supervisor role

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the administrative supervisors' perspective of their managerial practices and how these practices contribute to nurse and patient safety.

The position of administrative supervisor, often referred to as house supervisor on the evening and night shifts, lacks empirical data supporting efficacy.

A focused ethnographic study was conducted with 30 administrative supervisors from acute care hospitals, using in-depth interviews and job descriptions.

Regardless of the size, location or type of hospital, the interviews revealed the administrative supervisor as the hospital shift leader, who achieves nurse and patient safety when performing his/her role responsibilities, despite being disconnected from the nursing management team.

To support patient care quality and safety, the administrative supervisor competencies need to be developed along with role-specific education programmes. Additionally, there is a need to recognise these off-shift leaders as a key stakeholder on the nursing leadership team.

Although nurse leaders in many countries may believe they understand this role, this is among the first empirical studies. These results can lead discussions on enhancing nurse and patient safety with additional support for administrative supervisors, along with the discussion of a best practice model for off-shift leadership.