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Background and Purpose: Competency is a complicated and an ambiguous concept. It is also a challenging subject in the health care arena, which is significant in different aspects of nursing, such as education, clinic and management. There are ambiguities about it, thus, in this article, researchers conducted analysis of this concept.
Materials and methods: This research is a concept analysis by the hybrid method. This model has three steps. In literature review stage, 475 related articles exist in databases up to September 2007 were analyzed and evaluated. As to the importance of educational system in the training of nursing courses, 5 educators were interviewed in the field work stage. After listening to tapes, results were Tran scripted and content analysis was done. In the last stage, holistic analysis was carried out.
Results: Best definition and properties of competency was selected based on literature reviews. In the field work stage, categories and attributes, same as literature reviews stage, were emerged with interviewing of nursing educators, in addition to holistic view properties, in relation to attitude domain and creativity of management domain. In the last stage, a hybrid model was delivered.
Conclusion: In the Iranian field of nursing, educational planning, implementing competency instrument, nurses and students evaluation can be performed according to this study criterion.

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Background and purpose: To know about the outcomes of self- learning education as compared to lecture is highly influential in training and increasing nurses, competency. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the lecture and self-learning modules on the nurses’ teaching competency to cardiac patient education. Material and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial study 60 nurses in were selected using the convenience sampling and through blocking-random allocation method and divided them inot two groups of learning module and lecture. In the lecture group, the intervention consisted of a 2h-4 sessions. The other group received learning module. A week after the intervention, post-test was performed. Data were collected by written-test and Observation and Self Assessment. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 and descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t-test, paired t-tests, Chi-Square). Results: Both the self-learning modules (P<0.001) and lecture (P<0.001) were effective on the promotion of nurses’ teaching competency, and the effect of the two methods in teaching competency was not statistically meaningful (P= 0.11). The difference of Written-Test in Lecture and Learning Module Group Were Repeating 3.87±1 and 4.63±1.43 (P= 0.02). The difference of self -assessment in the Lecture and Learning Module Group Were Repeating 0.25±0.42 and 0.02±0.21 (P=0.03). The difference of observation in the Lecture and Learning Module Group Were Repeating 1.21±1.07 and 1.41±1.05 (P=0.46). Conclusion: Self-learning modules seem to be as effective as the lecture in the competency of nurses and in providing useful training programs.

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Background and purpose: The role of health system managers has always been emphasized in the efficient running of system of hygienic and remedial services and much attention is paid to the selection of the best persons to do that. The main purpose of this study was to design the managers' competency model of health sector and evaluate them from the standpoint of middle managers of health system. Material and methods: The study population included all the health system managers in Iran. The questionnaires were distributed among 385 people. The data were collected through the researcher's questionnaire which was used to assess the model proposed by applying library and field studies (interviewing with 30 person of health system managers of Iran). The questionnaire contains 8 main categories in competency criteria of managers and includes 63 questions. It was validated in terms of construct validity and Cronbach' alpha was used to ensure its internal consistency reliability. (more than 0.79 for each category). Inferential statistics (confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations model by specifying T-Value) and "LISREL" software was used to analyze the data collected from the questionnaire. Results: 280 filled out questionnaires of the participants (75.1%) were analyzed in this study. Based on the collected data, T. values for knowledge of and professional awareness competencies, behavioral and intellectual, personal traits, service, responsibility, and considering the ideological and moral (ethical) values equal 11.90, 11.06, 8.39, 10.68, 6.55, 9.31, 3.43, and 2.17 Conclusion: Considering and applying the presented criteria in proposed competency model of health system managers which are ranked by the middle managers can be one of the way of improving the quality of management in the health system of Iran.

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Background and purpose: One of the main goals of nursing education is training appropriate and efficient nurses. The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of nursing students and their teachers about professional competency of academic staff. Materials and methods: In this qualitative content-analysis approach study, the data were collected through unstructured in-depth interviews [30 individual and 1 focusing (Focus Group) interviews]. The participants were chosen using purposeful sampling from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, during July 2012 to June 2013. Formal or conventional qualitative content analysis was performed. Results: 11 categories and 4 themes were achieved. The themes included making the theoretical training efficient and useful (with 4 subthemes), gaining qualificative nursing science and skills (with 4 subthemes), making the clinical education efficient and effective for students (with 8 subthemes), and making the evaluation logical and objective (with 3 subthemes). Conclusion: This study found four basic themes of professional competency of academic staff and the indicators related to these features according to nursing students and their teachers' viewpoints. These findings can be used for designing evaluation and assessment tools for professional competency of academic staff.