Sustainable Young Nursing Business Manager Leadership Competency: The Philippines Experience

This study addresses the critical global shortage of qualified nurse managers, with a specific focus on the Philippines, where the lack of structured training programs for nurses transitioning into management roles has been particularly problematic. Recent research points to the resultant promotion of inexperienced nurses to leadership positions, leading to suboptimal management practices and compromised care quality. Aimed at enhancing the leadership competencies vital for the healthcare sector's sustainability, this research, conducted in Metro Manila, gathers insights from nursing business experts on essential skills for sustainable leadership in young nursing business managers. It seeks to explore expert perspectives and assess the competency levels of these managers using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. This design integrates qualitative and quantitative methodologies to determine expert opinions on necessary leadership skills, profile participants by demographic factors, evaluate competency levels, and formulate recommendations based on the study's findings. Initial interviews with nursing business leaders in Manila informed the development of a questionnaire, leading to the identification of five key competency themes: professional conduct, educational competency, individual assessment, trans-cultural competency, and informatics technology competency. The study concludes that a diverse range of skills and competencies are essential for the effective functioning of young nurse business leaders in both occupational and professional contexts. Highlighting the importance of comprehensive training programs, the findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on enhancing the quality and sustainability of healthcare services through improved leadership competencies among young nursing managers.

Keywords: Nursing, Professional conduct, Individual assessment, Informatic tech, educational competencies, Philippines