title: Managing professionals: exploring the role of the hospital HR function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of the HR function in the management of professional and non-professional staff in the acute hospital sector.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative approach was adopted. Empirical data from three hospital case studies is utilised to explore the role of the hospital HR function. Cases were compiled from 45 interviews, observation and secondary data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The paper finds that in two of the three cases the human resource (HR) function predominantly provides services to non-professional workforce groups. However, the effective and strategic management of professionals is undertaken in the third case, without a professional HR function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this paper require some caution in extrapolation, being based on research in one national context. The authors suggest the delivery of service as a useful lens to explore the enacted practice of HRM in hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The paper draws attention to a significant deficit in the role of the HR function in managing core professional staff.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The paper applies an existing conceptual framework to explore the role of the HR function in hospitals. It identifies a significant deficit in the management of core professional staff. On this basis the paper suggests alternative research methodologies to investigate the management of all hospital staff.
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Business School, Cardiff, UK. mcdermotta@cardiff.ac.uk
authors.forename: Aoife
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keating
mesh_terms: D016507:Cardiology Service, Hospital; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007494:Ireland; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010557:Personnel Administration, Hospital; D000078329:Workforce