Preparing nurse managers for informed action.

Nursing Adm inistration is one of the subjects taught to nurses study­ ing for post-registration courses, namely the D iplom a in Nursing A d­ m inistration and B Cur (I e t A) at M edunsa. Like o ther subjects in nursing, it is com posed of theoretical and prac­ tical aspects. For subjects in clinical nursing or patien t care and in nurs­ ing education, students have been able to apply theory to practice by being allocated to the real situation where they have been able to actu­ ally do. That is, in the wards and clinics w here patient care is actually done and in the nursing colleges where nursing students are actually taught. Students in Nursing Adm inis­ tration, however, have not been able to do. They have been sent to services but have so far only been able to observe what nurse adminis­ trators do, been given extra theory on how things are done, and have looked at the products of actions previously taken by nurse adminis­ trators, for example, a disaster plan.