Profile of administrators of schools of nursing, Part I: Resources for goal achievement

Part one of a two-part study was conducted with administrators of schools of nursing to determine the perceived importance of various resources in their goal achievement. The deans and directors of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing member schools were mailed a questionnaire that included the scale of Sources of Influence and sections on personal and career characteristics. A response rate of 73.5 per cent was obtained. The most important resource was communication skills; 99.1 per cent of the subjects indicated that this resource was highly important. The top resources also included interpersonal skills, creativity in thinking, ability to mobilize groups, and intellectual ability. The results were remarkably similar to earlier studies that used different subject groups. Similarities in the rankings were noted in the top-ranked resources as well as the lower-ranked personal traits, work or professional organization positions, and mentoring. The resources that are of a supportive or prescribed nature appeared to be less important than the resources that can be controlled and developed. For nurse administrators, particular emphasis should be placed on the development and enhancement of communication skills and the other thinking and relating types of skills.