Making a career in hospitals: Determinants of registered nurses’ aspirations to become a manager

AIM: To examine seven determinants of Registered Nurses' aspirations to become a manager in four Norwegian public hospitals. BACKGROUND: Research evidence shows that nurses submit few applications to management positions. Understanding the determinants that influence nurses' aspirations to become managers can provide healthcare organizations with important knowledge on the drivers and barriers in recruitment and on the development of nurse managers. DESIGN: This study adopted a cross-sectional web-based survey design. METHOD: Logistic regression analysis based on 2,630 Registered Nurses' responses to a self-completion survey in a Norwegian regional health authority collected during October 2014. The overall response rate was 40%. RESULTS: Findings indicate that men and younger nurses are most likely to report an aspiration in management. The social support of an immediate supervisor and institutional stress are positively associated with an aspiration to become a manager; however, high experienced workloads have the opposite effect. CONCLUSION: Healthcare organizations should work strategically to develop a human resource management policy that ensures that the organization develops the nurse managers it needs now and in the future. IMPACT: This study addresses the challenge of having enough qualified nurse managers. The main findings indicate that job demands can have both a negative and positive impact on nurses' aspirations to become a manager. Healthcare organizations should, however, reduce demands and consider increasing job resources. The results should have an impact on the human resource department, managers, and other key personnel in healthcare organizations.