Qualifications Required for Health Managers: A Phenomenological Research

Health institutions should be managed professionally in order to use their resources efficiently, to keep pace with the change process, to be able to develop appropriate strategies against uncertainties and to achieve their targets. Therefore, the persons who manage the health institutions should have certain qualifications. This study was conducted to determine the qualifications that health managers should have. Qualitative research method was employed and phenomenological design was used to achieve the purpose in question. The research participants consist of 12 persons who have been graduated from health management department and have been serving as a head of health management department in a public university in Turkey or a head of non-governmental organization in this field. 4 professors, 2 associate professors, 4 assistant professor and 2 Heads of Non-governmental Organization were included in the research. Data required for achieving the purpose of the study were collected by face-to-face interview method and using a tape recorder. In the analysis of data, “thematic analysis” that is one of the qualitative data analysis method and “Nvivo” program that is one of the qualitative data analysis program were used. At the end of the research study, the qualifications which health managers should have were combined in three themes; “education”, “experience” and “skill”. This research was considered to have importance for students, graduates and academicians of health management departments, health managers, manager candidates and health policy makers.