First-line nurse managers in university hospitals--captives to their own professional culture?
OBJECTIVE
This study investigates whether first-line nurse managers in hospitals share common dispositions related to managerial work and leadership, what they are like, and what their relationship is with the various expectations set on them.


METHODS
The first data were collected by focus group interviews in the autumn of 2000 and analysed using qualitative content analysis and frame analysis. The second data set were part of a questionnaire survey addressed to the same managers in 2001 with a focus on their diverse leadership roles.


RESULTS
Among first-line nurse managers, the management frameworks of a nurturing mother and an administrative nurse displayed the strongest prominence, and the emphasis seemed to be evolving towards the administrative. The results from the survey confirmed the findings of this study in relation to first-line nurse managers' management frameworks.


CONCLUSIONS
The line of development found in this study may add to the permanence of operations and the stability of the operative culture at a university hospital. It may also diminish the opportunities for nursing development in university hospital wards and weaken the potential for a new kind of competence among both managers and their subordinates.
Viitanen
Elina
E
Tampere School of Public Health and Medical Fund of Tampere University Hospital, University of Tampere, FIN-33014 Tampere, Finland. elina.viitanen@uta.fi
Wiili-Peltola
Erja
E
Tampsi-Jarvala
Tiina
T
Lehto
Juhani
J
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D016294:Models, Nursing; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory / Q000458:organization & administration; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010559:Personnel Management; D011361:Professional Competence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires