Do after hours managers need to be nurses?

The importance of the role of duty managers was the theme of the fourth duty managers' conference, organised by NZNO's clinical nurse managers' section, and held in Napier over two days at the end of September. The conference was hosted by duty managers from Hawke's Bay District Health Board (DHB) and attended by 65 duty managers from around the country.

Our opening speaker was Hawke's Bay DHB chief executive Chris Clarke, who spoke about how a dynamic CEO can be an inspiration to all staff. We all felt he recognised the importance of duty managers and their contribution to the efficient running of hospitals. Duty managers are in the unique position of walking a line between hospital managers and nurses. We manage nurses and hospitals for 16 hours a day, and often do nursing duties ourselves over two eight-hour shifts. Managing a hospital doesn't stop once managers go home at the end of each weekday.

We had some good discussion after a presentation by Lecturer from the Christchurch School of Medicine's postgraduate centre for nursing studies, Heather Gray, on the topic "Do after hours managers need to be nurses?" She had hoped to have been able to have given us her conclusions to this question at this year's conference, but we now have to wait until next year when her thesis will have been completed. The arguments she presented certainly provided some good discussion on whether being a nurse added value to the duty manager's role. Some hospital managers are not convinced that duty managers need to be nurses, though many are now changing their minds on this issue. Gray, a former duty manager at Ashburton Hospital, hopes to finish her thesis--a discourse on the role of duty managers--by February next year.

Legal issues faced by nurses and duty managers after hours is always a hot topic. We were fortunate this year to have Hawkes' Bay DHB's legal adviser Penny Andrews for a full session. She highlighted the Legal responsibilities we have in various scenarios, eg dealing with people trespassing or causing difficulties on hospital property at night.

The inaugural annual general meeting for the clinical nurse managers' section was held on the second day. The steering committee comprising Al McDougall from Canterbury DHB, Emma Lanyon from Christchurch's Burnside Hopital and Lynne Hansen, Bay of Plenty DHB, submitted the section's rules and strategic plan. McDougall presented a policy discussion paper on section membership. For the forthcoming year, membership criteria include those who hold positions such as hospital managers, after hours' co-ordinators and charge nurses of wards. This interpretation shall be reviewed from time to time.

Because of our unique role, the informal discussions that took place were as important as the more formal presentations. Our thanks to Hawke's Bay duty managers for hosting a great conference. We Look forward to next the 2006 conference in Dunedin next September.