Role perception of the nurse executive between nurse executives and hospital administrators

The problem of the study was to determine the difference in the perceived role of the nurse executive between hospital administrators and nurse executives. A survey of 52 hospital administrators and nurse executives in a large metropolitan area of the southwest supported that there is a difference in the perceived role of the nurse executive. The dimensions of the role which were investigated included: financial management, institutional policy, educational and staff development, professional responsibilities, community service, and research activities. The nurse executives were found to place more importance on dimensions of the role of the nurse executive than did the hospital administrators. These differences may contribute to role stress due to unclear expectations and differences in utilization of limited health care resources. With the identification of different role perceptions between nurse executives and hospital administrators, nurse executives may seek to clarify their role expectations and reduce role stress