Leadership and Management Competencies of Nurse Managers: A Cross-sectional Study in Northern and Central Vietnam

Objective: The competence of nurse managers is essential to ensure outstanding patient care and the key contributors to the healthcare organization’s success. This study aimed to adapt the Chase Nurse Manager Competency Instrument (CNMCI) to Vietnamese situations and then to examine the leadership, management, and related characteristics of nurse managers. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 17 Children and Obstetric and Pediatric hospitals in northern and central area of Vietnam using the CNMCI. Nurse managers (n=227) who were working in these hospitals participated in this study. Data were collected from July 2022 to August 2022. Results: Nurse managers had 3.51 ± 0.42 level of knowledge and 2.95 ± 0.48 level of ability to apply leadership and management competencies. However, only level of hospital and number of employees were significant related factors of leadership and management competencies of nurse manager. Conclusion: This study was the first in Vietnam which we examined the leadership competencies of nurse managers in Obstetric and Pediatric Hospitals. The results suggested that Vietnamese version of CNMCI was a reliable, valid instrument to assess competencies of nurse managers. It is necessary to have an effective leadership and manager training program to improve the competencies of nurse managers.