Study On The Current Situation About Managerial Competence And Training Needs Of Managers In A Hospital In Shandong Province

BackgroundWith the deepening of China’s medical reform,public hospitals are faced with internal and external changes and challenges in the process of operation and management.In order to provide patients with satisfactory diagnosis and treatment services while ensuring their own development,not only do they need more precise and professional diagnosis and treatment techniques,but also relies on the hospital managers with professional knowledge and professionalism.The level of managerial competence in most public hospitals is positively related to the improvement of management results,but the managerial competence of hospital managers still needs to be improved due to the lack of attention to the career plannings and training and assessment methods of hospital managers.Therefore,it is of great theoretical significance and practical value to promote the establishment of standardized training system and improve the professional knowledge and quality of hospital managers by understanding the current situation of their competence and demands for training.ObjectiveThis study investigated the managerial competence level and participation in training of managers in the hospital,construct the theoretical framework of the influence factors of managers’competence by using the grounded theory,and summarize the specific training needs of managers.According to the problems found in the study,the corresponding suggestions will be put forward to promote the establishment of scientific and standardized hospital managers’ training system,improve the ability of hospital managers.MethodsBased on the existing literature,policy documents,as well as questionnaire data and interview data,this study surveyed 237 managers of a tertiary hospital in Shandong Province.Through the questionnaire survey to collect the basic information,the current situation of the managerial competence and participation in the training of the managers.Through the semi-structured interview,the managers of sample hospital(a total of 28 people)were investigated to discuss their specific training needs.Using SPSS 26.0 to process the data,and reliability test and validity test of the managerial competence self-rating scale,descriptive statistical analysis,single factor analysis,and multivariate analysis were carried out.Using Nvivo 12 Plus to code the interview data,using the grounded theory analysis method to construct the theoretical framework of the influencing factors of managers’ managerial competence.Finally,according to qualitative and quantitative analysis results,put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions.Results(1)The level of managerial competence of hospital managers needs to be improved.The overall competence score of hospital managers is(4.45±0.97),which was below the middle level,and 68.78%of managers were at a low performance level.Before engaging in management work,managers with full competence accounted for a relatively small proportion of the interpersonal,communication qualities and relationship management(22.78%),enabling and managing change(17.30%),operations,administration and resource management(13.92%).After engaging in management work,managers scored highest in interpersonal,communication qualities and relationship management(4.84±1.04),lowest in operations,administration and resource management(4.20±1.24),evidence-informed decision-making(4.23±1.09).(2)Educational background,age,working years,post category and training participation affect the hospital managers’ competence.Hospital managers who are over 40 years old and engaged in hospital management for more than 10 years have higher level of managerial competence.Managers with higher level of education have higher levels of operations,administration and resource management capabilities.Clinical managers have higher level of managerial competence.Participation in training has a positive impact on the improvement of management capabilities of managers.(3)The managerial competence of managers is affected by potential factors.Organizational support is the root cause of the competence of managers,which supports the implementation of the training system for managers.The institutional environment is a key factor affecting the competence of managers,and the human resources management department formulates a complete training system of mangers according to the decision layers’ requirements,and supervises the implementation,which is conducive to the improvement of the competence of managers.With the attention of the relevant leaders and management departments,a well-positioned management atmosphere in the whole hospital can be created,and managers can improve themselves continuously.Personal traits are the established factors that affect the competence of managers,which determine the baseline of managers’abilities,and also affect their awareness of hospital management and the need for management ability improvement.(4)The training contents and forms that managers participated in are relatively simple.In terms of training contents,before engaging in management work,most of the training received by managers are mainly on interpersonal communication and communication,and less participation in training on operation management and evidence-based decision-making.After engaging in management work,managers have participated in more training about hospital operations management,leadership and evidence-based decision-making.In terms of training forms,managers mostly participate in training in the form of lectures,academic conferences,and are less able to improve their management capabilities through regular systematic learning and further training in other hospitals at home and abroad.From an overall point of view,the training contents and forms that managers participated in are relatively simple.(5)Hospital managers have different levels of management training needs.In terms of the demands for training opportunity,some managers indicated that the use of training time should be more efficient,and the purpose of obtaining management knowledge and experience can be achieved through short-term centralized training.In terms of the demands for training contents and forms,most managers indicated that the training contents should be relevant to the actual work,while a few managers wanted to retrain specific management skills once a management knowledge framework had been established.Some managers want more flexible and diverse forms of training.In terms of the demands for teacher sources,managers believe that the training provided by training institutions is less suitable for public hospitals,and therefore prefer to participate in the training organized by the National Health Commission,Provincial Health Commission,universities,hospitals and other associations.In terms of the demands for training assessment methods,most managers thought that the evaluation of management capabilities should not be rigidly Excessively strict evaluation methods will reduce their enthusiasm for participating in training.Conclusions and SuggestionsThe managerial competence of the managers of sample hospital is below the middle level.Managers who are older,have a longer working experience and have a higher level of education have higher level of managerial competence.Clinical managers have higher managerial competence.Participation in training has a positive impact on the improvement of managerial competence of managers.Managers’competence is influenced by potential factors such as organizational support,institutional environment,management atmosphere and personal traits.Managers have different levels of demands for training opportunities,contents,forms,teacher sources and assessment methods,however,there is currently a lack of systematic and institutionalized training plans for hospital managers,and their training needs cannot be met.The recommendations are as follows:(1)To promote the effective application of managerial competence in hospital human resources management;(2)A long-term training mechanism for hospital managers should be established to improve the managerial competence of managers;(3)Managers need to raise awareness of the importance of hospital management;(4)Decision layers of hospitals should pay more attention to the training of managers;(5)Deepen the collaborative education between hospitals and colleges,and make a good foundation for the continuing education of hospital managers.