Opinions of Selected Graduate Professional Nurses of Their Undergraduate Preparation in Administration for Graduate Nursing Responsibilities

The problem of this study was to ascertain whether the graduates of a selected professional nursing program were prepared with an understanding of administration that enabled them to assume responsibilities of the graduate professional nurse. The research method used in the study was normative survey and the technique employed was an opinion-questionnaire. The questions in the opinion-questionnaire were based upon criteria obtained by identifying functions of \u22the graduate professional nurse in which processes of administration are inherent. Each question also was related to a course, Patient Care and Ward Management, which had been given the respondents during the senior year in the basic professional nursing program. The opinion-questionnaire was mailed to eighty-five graduates of a selected basic professional nursing program. Eleven of the questionnaires were returned and could not be used. Of the remaining questionnaires, forty-three or fifty-seven percent were returned and were usable. The analysis of data revealed that there was no definite pattern of responses upon which conclusions could be drawn. However, the analysis did reveal that questions concerning ward management functions received a much higher percentage of positive responses than did the questions that were concerned with general nursing functions. The data also revealed that the two most frequently suggested areas in need of emphasis in this course were discussion of and practice in the duties of the head nurse, and the utilization of community agencies by the hospital nurse