Management education for nurses: hospital executives' opinions and hiring practices.

Abstract

Because registered nurses are assuming expanded roles in hospital management, the appropriate educational preparation for these roles has become a widely debated issue. A national survey of hospital CEOs and CNOs was conducted to assess their personal preferences for management education for nurses and to gather information about their hospitals' policies and practices in hiring nurses for management positions at various levels within the hospital (from unit-level management to executive level). Both CEOs and CNOs preferred the joint MSN/MBA degree option as the best model for graduate management education for nurses, and they perceived greater demand in the future for hospital nurses with graduate management degrees. However, hospital policies and practices with regard to degree requirements and preferences for nurses hired in management positions at all levels varied widely.