Study of the implementation of a succession planning program for nursing and midwifery management in public and private hospitals in Guilan province: cross-sectional study

Background: The succession planning program involves identifying and developing individuals with the necessary skills for key managerial roles. This study examined the status of succession planning for nursing and midwifery managers in hospitals in Guilan Province. Aim: To investigate the implementation of a succession planning program and its related factors in hospital wards in Guilan Province. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study surveyed 307 nursing and midwifery managers in Guilan Province's private and public hospitals. Using census sampling and specific criteria, the research employed a 43-item electronic succession planning questionnaire that assessed organizational, individual, and process factors, as well as a demographic questionnaire. Data analysis was performed via both parametric and nonparametric methods via SPSS version 23 software. Results: Out of 307 hospital general managers in the province, 219 (71.3%) worked in public hospitals (1 male and 218 females), and 88 (28.7%) worked in private hospitals (86 females and two males). The overall mean score for succession planning was 107.93 ± 25.27, categorized as "poor," with 62.2% rated as "poor" and 21.2% as "abysmal." Only 0.5% of the public hospital assessments were "good,". Significant correlations were found between succession planning scores and age (p = 0.001), work experience (p = 0.003), education level (p = 0.001), and field of study (p = 0.001). No significant relationships were observed with management experience (p = 0.588), gender (p = 0.762), place of service (p = 0.298), or completion of a management course (p = 0.334). The organizational dimension received the highest average score, whereas the individual dimension had the lowest score. Conclusion: The current approach of senior hospital managers is mainly replacement, and this approach should be upgraded to include succession planning and, ultimately, succession management. To improve service delivery in hospitals, implementing a succession planning program is recommended. Annual evaluation and review of the program's results are necessary to assess its success and inform corrective measures. In addition, succession planning should be a strategic priority for hospitals and should receive considerable attention as a human resources development program.