Detection of training needs for soft skills in the nursing leadership - working group dipole

Introduction: The modern healthcare work environment is characterized by complexity and the ideal characteristics of the leader nurse balance between scientific knowledge and soft skills. The most effective way to develop soft skills is through active participation in training programs, designed with the method of experiential learning that have resulted from the detection educational needs.
Objective: to explore the perceptions and attitudes of head nurses in public hospitals about continuing education with the aim of identifying training needs for soft skills.
Material and Method: The study sample consisted of senior executives, at the level of the head of the nursing department, of public hospitals in Attica. The survey was conducted in January 2020 through the “focus group interview” qualitative research method. The data analysis was performed with a thematic analysis of three transitional stages: open coding, axial coding and selective coding, in which the interpretations were recorded in memorandums and diagrams.
Results: Nurses who realize that education is an investment are a modern human resource, fully aware that with continuing education and training they will be a strong social capital worthy and equivalent to that of other countries, which should enjoy honorable mention and social recognition in the field of healthcare. The main problems in the workplace focus on communication, cooperation, conflict administration, emotional stress, the effects of the authoritarian leadership model, as well as the syndrome of moral harassment. All of these malfunctions can be prevented and addressed by designing and conducting soft skills training programs.
Conclusions: Nurses, as healthcare scientists, must develop a culture of continuing learning and with their attitude and vision pave the way for the reshaping of the therapeutic reality and set the foundations for professional well-being in healthcare environments.

Keywords: educational needs detection, soft skills, nursing leadership