Examining the hybrid nurse manager

Sammanfattning: Title: Examining the hybrid nurse manager University: Lund University School of Economics and Management Course: BUSN49 Master’s Degree Project Authors: Lovisa Bunner & Kim Rosdahl Supervisor: Charlotta Levay Submission date: 20th of May, 2016 Key words: Professional-managerial hybrid role, Hybrid nurse manager, Identity Purpose: The purpose of the study is to expand our understanding about the hybrid nurse manager; a professional with a nursing background that holds a managerial position. Research question: How do nurse managers experience their professional-managerial hybrid role? How do nurse managers construct themselves in their managerial position, and what does that imply for their experiences of their professional-managerial hybrid role? Research context: The study takes place within the public healthcare in south of Sweden. Method: Interpretative qualitative study. Empirical data was collected by ten semi-structured interviews with first-line nurse managers. In addition, observations were conducted at the care units. Findings: Our findings suggest that hybrid professional-managers, with a nursing background, construct a nursing managerial identity. Their nursing background reflects how they enact their hybrid role. Moreover, the nursing managerial identity seems to create conflicts that are experienced with more emotional distress than other conflicts that arise from the hybrid role. Contributions: Our research extends the knowledge of how nurse managers experience the duality of the professional-managerial hybrid role, and shed light on how the nurse managers enact their hybrid role.