title: The skills gap in nursing management in the South African public health sector.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nurse managers are central to health delivery in South Africa. However, there is a paucity of research that analyzes their competence to successfully discharge their managerial role. To identify the competencies perceived to be important for effective nursing management in the South African public sector and the managers' self-assessed proficiency in these.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire. 215 senior nursing managers at South African public sector hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respondents rated the level of importance that 51 proposed competencies had in their job and indicated their proficiency in each.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Public sector managers ranked controlling as the most important competency, followed by leading, organizing, and self-management. Health/clinical skills, planning, and legal/ethical competencies were ranked as being relatively less important. They assessed themselves as being most competent in self-management, followed by planning, controlling, leading, and specific health skills. The competency gap was the largest for legal/ethical issues, organizing, and controlling. The competency gap for planning and self-management was relatively smaller.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research confirms that there is a lack of management capacity within the public health sector and also identifies the areas in which the lack of knowledge or skills is most significant.
authors: Director of Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Academy, School of Entrepreneurship, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA. rubin.pillay@okstate.edu
authors: Rubin
authors: R
authors: Pillay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011634:Public Health; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D017150:Public Sector; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires