ORIGINAL ARTICLE
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES SOUGHT BY MANAGERS IN THE SELECTIVE PROCESS OF NURSES IN HOSPITAL INSTITUTIONS
COMPETÊNCIAS PROFISSIONAIS PROCURADAS POR GESTORES NO PROCESSO SELETIVO DE ENFERMEIROS EM INSTITUIÇÕES HOSPITALARES
HABILIDADES PROFESIONALES BUSCADAS POR GERENTES EN EL PROCESO SELECTIVO DE ENFERMERAS EN INSTITUCIONES HOSPITALARIAS
Camila Hellen Oliveira Bettiol1 Danielli Rafaeli Candido Pedro2 Paloma de Souza Cavalcante Pissinati3 Mariana Ângela Rossaneis4 Maria do Carmo Fernandez Lourenço Haddad5 Mara Solange Gomes Dellaroza6 ABSTRACT
Objective: to identify the professional competences sought by managers in the process of selection of nurses in hospital institutions. Method: this is a quantitative cross-sectional study conducted with nursing managers of high complexity hospitals in southern Brazil. Data collection took place through an electronic questionnaire covering the eighteen professional competences present in the curricular guidelines of an undergraduate nursing course offered in a public university in southern Brazil and in the proposals of the Regional Nursing Council of the state of São Paulo. Data were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis. Results: the most sought skills were ethical and legal respect for the profession, teamwork and interpersonal relationships. Conclusion: it is up to educational institutions to maintain their position as drivers of new conceptions and ideas. It is necessary to encourage professionals to reflect on the skills they have and those they still need to develop in order to continuously improve their ability to act and ensure the quality of the care provided.
Descriptors: Professional Competence; Nursing; Human Resources; Personnel Management; Employment.
1 Nurse. Master in Nursing from the State University of Londrina. camilahelen@hotmail.com
2 Nurse. Master student in Nursing from the State University of Londrina. Email: danirafaeli@hotmail.com 3 Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Director of Primary Health Care at the Municipal Health Secretariat of Rolândia - PR. Email: paloma_cavalcante_souza@hotmail.com
4 Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Teacher at the State University of Londrina. Email: marianarossaneis@gmail.com 5 Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Teacher at the State University of Londrina. Email: carmohaddad@gmail.com 6 Nurse. PhD in Nursing. Teacher at the State University of Londrina. Email: dellaroza@uel.br
Corresponding author: Danielli Rafaeli Candido Pedro. Address: Av. Robert Koch, 60. Zipe Code: 86038-350
Professional competences sought in nurses
RESUMO
Objetivo: identificar as competências profissionais procuradas por gestores no processo
seletivo de enfermeiros em instituições hospitalares. Método: estudo quantitativo, transversal, realizado com gestores de enfermagem de hospitais de alta complexidade da região sul do Brasil. A coleta de dados ocorreu a partir de um questionário eletrônico contemplando as dezoito competências profissionais presentes nas diretrizes curriculares de um curso de graduação em enfermagem de uma universidade pública do Sul do Brasil e nas propostas do Conselho Regional de Enfermagem do Estado de São Paulo. Os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística descritiva. Resultados: as competências mais procuradas pelos gestores foram o respeito ético e legal à profissão, trabalho em equipe e relacionamento interpessoal.
Conclusão: compete às instituições de ensino manter sua posição de impulsionadoras de
novas concepções e ideias. Faz-se necessário estimular os profissionais a refletir sobre as competências que possuem e aquelas que ainda necessitam desenvolver, a fim de aprimorar continuamente sua capacidade de atuação e garantir a qualidade na assistência prestada.
Descritores: Competência Profissional; Enfermagem; Recursos Humanos; Administração de
Recursos Humanos; Emprego.
RESUMEN
Objetivo: identificar las habilidades profesionales que buscan los gerentes en el proceso de
selección de enfermeras en instituciones hospitalarias. Método: estudio transversal cuantitativo realizado con gerentes de enfermería de hospitales de alta complejidad en el sur de Brasil. La recogida de datos se realizó a través de un cuestionario electrónico que consideraba las 18 competencias profesionales presentes en las pautas curriculares de un curso de grado en enfermería en una universidad pública del sur de Brasil y en las propuestas del Consejo Regional de Enfermería del Estado de São Paulo. Los datos fueron sometidos a análisis estadístico descriptivo. Resultados: Las habilidades más buscadas por los gerentes fueron el respeto ético y legal por la profesión, el trabajo en equipo y las relaciones interpersonales.
Conclusión: corresponde a las instituciones educativas mantener su posición como impulsoras
de nuevas concepciones e ideas. Es necesario estimular a los profesionales a reflexionar sobre las habilidades que tienen y las que aún necesitan desarrollar, a fin de mejorar continuamente su capacidad de actuar y garantizar la calidad de la atención brindada.
Descriptores: Competencia Profesional; Enfermería; Recursos Humanos; Administración de
Personal; Empleo. INTRODUCTION
The advancement of globalization and changes in the work process in health and nursing have contributed to transform the profile of professionals. In current days, excellence in productivity and characteristics aligned with the objectives of the institutions, the goals and the organizational results are expected; thus, organizations depend on the competences of their managers to achieve these goals(1).
Health care providers are complex institutions aimed at addressing user needs and meeting quality goals focused
on personnel management(2), especially in nursing, which comprises approximately 60% of the workforce of the health team. Thus, it is necessary that nursing managers know the professional profile of nurses that best fits the needs of the institution before present requirements.
Professional profile is considered to be the set of indispensable and desirable competences for the performance of the function or position, which involve personal and professional demands(2).
The delimitation of the professional profile and the competences for the position of nurse required by institutions can contribute to the balance and agreement between the professional's
Professional competences sought in nurses
skills and the intended position, seeking to provide effective and quality services(3).
Given their relevance to professional practice, competences such as ethical and legal respect for the profession, assessment and intervention in health problems, assistance and care for people in all evolutionary stages, continuing education, health education, and research and investigation, are part of the curriculum guidelines of undergraduate nursing courses. They have the purpose of arousing interest in professional development and willingness to learn constantly(4).
It is about acquisitions related to learning, whose meaning is not simply to add contents but to discern, select, organize and especially make connections between them before using them in the action requested(5).
Identifying professional competences can be considered a challenge for managers. Given the gradual organizational changes and market demands, it is indispensable to know them and encourage nurses to reach them for professional qualification(6,7).
Seeking to reflect on the professional profile required by the current job market, with a view to adapting and improving the education of these professionals, this study aimed to identify the professional competences sought by managers in the selection process of nurses in hospital institutions.
METHODS
This is a quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted with nursing directors of high complexity public, private or philanthropic hospitals located in southern Brazil. We chose to select high complexity hospitals because we understand that in these services the professional profile of the selected nurses should include competences that allow them to work in various units and at different levels of management and supervision in the institution.
This research took place during 2013 and used data available on the website of the National Register of Health
Establishments-CNES/DATASUS for the selection of hospitals.
Initially, the principal researcher sent e-mails to all hospitals with a valid e-mail address, requesting the e-mail address of the nursing director of the institution. Then, a questionnaire with multiple choice and open questions was sent to the nursing director of each institution using the Google Docs® tool.
A total of 213 hospitals were selected, of which 126 had valid e-mail addresses. Forty-three sent the response using personal e-mails. Up to three invitations were sent at intervals of 15 days, and at the end, 17 directors answered the electronic questionnaire.
The data collection questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic and occupational variables such as age, sex, year of graduation, education and time of professional practice. Institutions were evaluated for characteristics of the assistance provided, teaching/research activity, nature of the organization, and number of beds.
In order to obtain the nursing director’s opinion about the relevance of each competence in the nurses’ profile identified at the selection stage, a five-point Likert scale was used, covering the eighteen competences present in the curricular guidelines of the undergraduate degree course of the State University of Londrina (UEL) and the proposals of the Regional Nursing Council (COREN) of the state of São Paulo. The responses were classified as extremely desirable, very desirable, desirable, undesirable and indifferent.
Data were tabulated using the Microsoft Excel 2010® software and submitted to descriptive statistical analysis through means, relative and absolute frequencies. The open questions had their answers categorized.
This study complied with the ethical precepts of research involving human subjects, and it was started after approval by the Ethics Committee under Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Appreciation (CAAE) Number 04856512.9.0000.5231 and Opinion Number 80771. The informed consent form was an integral part of the questionnaire and was made available to the participants online.
Professional competences sought in nurses
RESULTS
The hospitals studied had an average of 196 beds. Regarding the number of professionals who were part of the staff, there were an average of 62 nurses and 296 nursing technicians and assistants.
Most managers were female (82%), aged between 41 and 50 years (53%). All had the title of specialist; four were masters and one PhD. Of the total, eleven had specific training for acting as managers, which ranged from specialization in hospital management, Master Business Administration (MBA), and master's degree in hospital management; six had no specific qualifications. The time working as director of the institution was mostly from 02 to 04 years, and over 06 years, according to Table 1.
Table 1. Sociodemographic and occupational
characterization of nursing managers in hospitals in southern Brazil, 2013. (n = 17) Sociodemographic and occupational characteristics n % Sex Female 14 82,35 Male 03 17,65 Age group 20 - 30 years 01 5,88 31 - 40 years 07 41,18 41 - 50 years Academic training* 14 82,35 Specialist 04 23,53 Master 01 5,88
Time as nursing director at the institution
Less than 2 years 02 11,76
2 to 4 years 06 35,29
5 to 6 years 03 17,65
More than 6 years 06 35,29 *Sum greater than 17, because it was a multiple-choice question.
Nursing managers reported participating in the selection of nurses in the stages of definition of the professional profile, curriculum analysis, preparation of selection criteria, interview, and only one nurse reported not being present in this process, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Participation of nursing managers in the
steps of the selection process of nurses in hospitals in southern Brazil, 2013. (n = 17)
Stages of the selection process of nurses*
n %
Definition of the professional
profile 14 82,35
Curriculum analysis 12 70,59 Preparation of criteria to be
adopted in the selection process 11 64,71
Interview 10 58,82
Preparation of questions for
knowledge test 09 52,94
Preparation of instruments
used in the selection process 08 47,06
Others 04 23,53
No participation in the process 01 5,88 * Sum greater than 17, because it was a multiple-choice question.
Among the eighteen professional competences listed, the three that stood out were the ethical and legal respect for the profession, teamwork and interpersonal relationships. They attributed less relevance to research/investigative skills and entrepreneurship, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Importance attributed to the professional
competences expected by nursing managers in the selection process of nurses in hospitals in southern Brazil, 2013.
Desirable competences n %
Extremely desirable
Ethical and legal respect for the
profession 17 100,0
Team work 13 76,47
Interpersonal relationship 12 70,59 Assessment and intervention in
health problems 11 64,71
Leadership 11 64,71
Assist/care for the person in all
evolutionary phases 10 58,82 Planning and organization 10 58,82
Communication 09 52,94 Systemic view 08 47,06 Continuing education 07 41,18 Very desirable Entrepreneurship 14 82,35 Flexibility 10 58,82 Decision making 09 52,94 Negotiation 09 52,94 Health education 08 47,06 Critical reflection 08 47,06 Creativity 06 35,29 Very desirable Investigative research 09 52,94
Professional competences sought in nurses
It was observed that most professional competences were recognized as very or extremely desirable by managers, results that reinforce the importance of promoting the development of such attributes since the beginning of nursing education.
DISCUSSION
It was identified that the ethical and legal respect to the profession, teamwork and interpersonal relationship had greater relevance in the opinion of managers in the selection of new nurses. These competences are included in the National Curriculum Guidelines (NCGs)(8) and are directly related to the work process.
However, competences such as creativity and entrepreneurship were not so valued, which may reflect the traditional and conservative attitude of institutions regarding the profile they expect from nurses. These results refer to the emergence of nursing as a profession, which was permeated by conservative ideals, through which precepts such as submission to other professionals, helping others, and even conformism were disseminated(9).
It is understood that in the health area it is essential that nurses be able to make decisions based on the principles of citizenship and ethics, recognizing that this action is complex and must be based on moral values in relation to the assisted person, himself, as a nurse, to the profession, to peers and other professions(10). However, the reach of such competences still represents a challenge in professional nursing education, which should be able to stimulate the identification of obstacles and coping through critical thinking, autonomy, innovation and communication(11).
Health institutions have developed their organizational policies based on ethical precepts and this attitude has been fundamental for their development, since the choice for values that humanize the work process in relation to patients adds values and benefits the institution and society(2). In this sense, concerned with hiring ethical professionals, managers have promoted changes in the
organization of work activities in order to obtain better results(9).
Regarding the professional competence of teamwork, it is necessary to be able to interact with a certain group of people, articulate actions with common goals and respect individual limits, needs and differences(3). In the health area, in order to obtain quality care, it is necessary to interact and provide care in an interprofessional manner, because in isolation there is no resolution to the complexity of the cases and the subjectivity of the human being(12).
Also, it was observed that managers sought nurses who knew how to establish interpersonal relationships, promoting a cordial, empathic and professional interaction, favorable to the development of their activities(3). This competence is also expected to enable the implementation of care practices that value dialogue, co-responsibility, pluralism, and allow the implementation of compatible practices within the context(13).
The ability to intervene on health problems and to lead the team was also valued by the managers of the hospital institutions studied. Leadership has been mentioned as one of the main professional competences to be developed today, associated with the ability to make decisions regarding the work process(14).
Entrepreneurship, recognized as very desirable by most managers, is the ability to identify innovative opportunities, foreseeing risks and taking safe actions(15). This result indicates that managers appreciate professionals with a proactive profile and able to propose changes that effectively contribute to changes in nursing practice. The positioning of these managers may be the differential factor for the entrepreneurial behavior of professional nurses in the study institutions, given the openness and incentive they will receive.
The investigative research was considered only as a desirable competence by the participants. This may be influenced by the institutions' care policies, which often aim only at care management, and do not include stimuli for scientific development. This fact seems to contradict the development of modern nursing, which seeks scientific evidence to support safe care.
Professional competences sought in nurses
It is noteworthy that the constant change in the work scenario of nurses reinforces the importance of improving professional skills, in order to adapt to the characteristics of the organization. In this sense, the educational process becomes fundamental to promote a reflection on individuals in relation to their functions and abilities to develop them, in order to stimulate the search for competences that meet the professional profile desired by the institution(16).
A limitation of this study is the difficulty of accessing the managers' e-mail addresses and obtaining feedback after sending the online questionnaire. Despite the current trend towards computerization, many professionals still do not recognize the importance of developing scientific research as a tool for improvement and transformation of practice, fundamental in our work process. Another limitation is the period in which data collection occurred, but despite the time elapsed, the data are relevant and reinforce the pertinence of the theme.
CONCLUSION
The results showed that in the selection process, hospital managers
valued nurses with a professional profile based on basic skills, such as ethical and legal respect for the profession, teamwork and interpersonal relationships, but also innovative ones such as entrepreneurship. It was evidenced that some institutions preferred to develop in their collaborators some competences according to their organizational principles, as occurs it is the case of the leadership competence.
Given the results presented, it is up to the training institutions to maintain their position as drivers of new conceptions and ideas, in order to train nurses who can innovate and promote considerable changes in health services. Furthermore, it is necessary to encourage professionals to reflect on the skills they have and those they still need to develop, in order to continuously improve their abilities to act and ensure the quality of care provided.
In addition, the importance of the approach used for the development of competences and skills during undergraduate nursing courses is stressed, contributing to the training of critical-reflective professionals capable of transforming the daily practice.
Individual contribution of the authors: Bettiol CHO; Pedro DRC; Pissinati PSC; Rossaneis MÂ: participated
in the conception and writing of the project; data collection, analysis and interpretation; writing of the article and final approval of the version to be published. Haddad MCL; Dellaroza MSG: participated in the relevant critical review of intellectual content and final approval of the version to be published. All authors declare to be responsible for all aspects of the work, ensuring its accuracy and integrity.
Submitted: 01/10/2019 Accept in: 09/11/2019
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