Capacity and Readiness of Local Administrative Organization in the Creation of Nurses of the Community

Abstract

The descriptive research aimed at exploring the capacity and the readiness of the Local Administrative Organization (LAO) and analyzing for the possibility of The Three Synchronized Powers (LAO-Community hospital-Nursing educational institution) as an important mechanism to support the creation of Nurses of the Community. The research methods included a survey of in 3,148 executives from LAOs all over the country and the policy forums among the administratives or representatives of the community hospitals-LAOs and 28 nursing educational institutions. Results indicated the following:

1) Capacity and readiness of LAOs for the creation of Nurses of the Community found that a half of LAOs want their locals to be trained in nursing (52.9%), could provide scholarship (31.3%), are ready to support and participate in training the nurses in 2009 (37.8%), and to plan for employment (26.5%). Among all, most LAOs from the Eastern and the Northeastern regions (58.3, 56.7) want to support their locals to study in the nursing program. Many LAOs from the East present their potential to provide scholarship during the study program and to employ them after graduation. Most large LAOs and metropolitan have potential to provide scholarship. 2) The mechanism to support the creation of the Nurses of the Community which is called the The Three Synchronized Powers (LAOs -Community hospitals-Nursing educational institutes) was found in 2008, 247 LAOs and 152 local community hospitals had agreements with 24 nursing educational institutes to support 300 students to study in the Bachelor Degree Program in Nursing. The Memorandum of Understanding developed among those three key parties indicated at least 3 portions: principles of creating the Nurse of the Community, contribution of each party to the creation of the Nurse of the Community, and roles and functions of each party to the creation of the Nurse of the Community. 3) Current situation for the creation of Nurses of the Community presented that among 1,666 LAOs indicated the number of 1,169 locals to study in nursing in this project while the participating nursing educational institutions could accept 300 students from 247 LAOs. The Three Synchronized Powers (LAOs -Community hospitals-Nursing educational institutes) could develop their own ways to participate in the creation of the Nurse of the Community through experiences sharing forums in concepts, process, and model implemented through the process in creating the Nurse of the Community. Those organizations who involved in the policy development including the Department of Local Administration Promotion, Ministry of Interior and the National Health Security Office should explore more for channels and mechanisms at the national level to support the LAOs to have their Nurses of the Community.