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Performing the function of a school head is an extremely important task, because the school head is responsible not only for managing all the resources of the organization, but above all for educating future generations. Therefore, it is important that the school leader has a number of competences necessary to properly fulfill this role (Dorczak, 2013): educational, technical, cultural, interpersonal and intrapersonal competences. However, the work of the director of an educational institution is primarily work with people and for people, therefore, in addition to a number of necessary competences, the overall psychological profile of the school leader seems to be crucial, which includes both predispositions and personality traits, as well as intrapersonal competences that we have in-fluence on, thus the leader can learn them and constantly develop to be better and better in his profession. Hence, it is worth taking a closer look at the profile of the ideal educational leader.For this purpose, a survey was conducted among 113 headmasters of Polish schools to find out their self-esteem in terms of intrapersonal competences, as well as the most impor-tant and least important, in their opinion, intrapersonal competences in fulfilling the role of an educational leader. The results of the conducted research, conclusions drawn from them, as well as recommendations prepared may turn out to be useful for teachers and school principals, as well as for researchers and everyone interested in the subject of individual development and educational leadership.

A school is a unique place, where young people learn, develop and socialize. It is an institution where basic knowledge of the world and social life is shared. It is an organisation which has a real impact on creating equal opportunities and on an individual’s later life. The school system has a significant impact on all individuals and their social development, making it the subject of countless discussions and frequent assessments. For over 25 years Poland has been making constant changes in its education system. It is the sector that undergoes the most frequent and most extensive reforms. Decision makers change its structure, form and teaching contents, subjecting the system to continuous evaluation. The aim is to improve the conditions and quality of teaching. While looking for efficient solutions, decision makers have been relying on economic management sciences, focusing on financial and material resources and on improving the technical infrastructure of schools. Over time they started to notice that such solutions are insufficient, so they began to direct their attention to the concept of educational leadership, based on specific values, with comprehensive student development in the very heart of the process.

Psychiatrists in Poland are becoming increasingly alarmed about deteriorating mental health of children and adolescents in Poland. The foundation for building and developing psychosocial health of children and adolescents is the family environment. However, it is important to remember that school is also an important part of that environment. Educational institutions should therefore be places that engage in comprehensive actions to protect the mental health of children and adolescents, with all members of the organization getting involved in the process. Mental health must be recognized as an important issue in student development. There is also a need to build a culture of openness and understanding, as well as to promote pro-health attitudes and behaviors, and to promote mental health education. Therefore, it is worth considering how Polish educational leaders deal with the growing mental problems among their students. How do they manage the school’s mental health programme for children and young people? To that end, a desk research was performed by searching for nationwide programmes for mental health protection for children and adolescents and a survey was conducted among Polish school principals to find out what specific protection and education measures regarding pupils’ mental health are being taken. The results of the conducted research show that both education and protection concerning the mental health of children and youth in Poland are insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to diversify and intensify the activities undertaken. The results and conclusions may be useful for policymakers in establishing mental health protection programmes for children and adolescents, as well as for school leaders. Moreover, the results provide an excellent basis for further research and may therefore be of interest to researchers. This article is also addressed at those interested in prevention of mental health issues in children and adolescents.

It must be argued that during the last few decades the importance of nurses in healthcare organizations is growing rapidly. They have to undertake more and more complex roles which brings the necessity of adequate professional education and continuing training. Professional development is becoming a professional life-long activity vital from the perspective of the needs of the nursing profession and professional identity of nurses as individuals. Such a professional development has to be seen as part of the development of the whole healthcare organization. The authors of the presented research argue that looking from the practical point of view of healthcare organization management it is important to know how people working in such context understand key organizational concepts and values. Their ways of understanding may influence the practice and contribute to organizational effectiveness. The paper present the results of a study conducted with participation of a group of Polish nurses. The main aim was to find out the answers to three main research questions: How do they understand the concept of development in the context of their profession? What are different aspect or areas of development from their perspective? What are the main factors fostering and inhibiting their development in the context of healthcare organizations that they work in?

Since the beginning of the 20th century the role of nurses in Poland has evolved significantly: from care-takers and orderlies, through nurses (first, with secondary education only, currently with higher education), to performing management functions (that is ward nurses, nursing officers, chief nurses and even directors or deputy directors of organizational units in the healthcare sector). It should be underlined that with the increase of the importance of the role and functions of nurses, the expectations as to the qualifications of this professional group keep increasing as well. In accordance to the law, nurses are obliged to update their knowledge with various types of post-graduate education, that is in specialization trainings, qualification courses, specialist courses and trainings. It is worth considering here the perspectives for professional promotion of nurses in the structures of healthcare organizations in Poland. What qualifications, experience, competencies and skills do they need to perform managerial functions in healthcare organizations? Does the system of post-graduate education provide them with suitable possibilities of preparing to perform a managerial function? With respect to the abovementioned questions, the main aim of the article is to present the existing forms of education in Poland that prepare nurses to perform managerial functions in healthcare organizations. The research consisted in a desk-analysis of data, that is of official and commonly accessible documents and information concerning education of nurses within management sciences. The conclusions coming from the analysis of the research results have allowed for the formulation of recommendations directed at decision-makers within the area of nurses’ continuing education. The conducted research has also allowed for the formulation of specific recommendations for management professionals and for the professional group of nurses. This paper may also be of particular interest for researchers who investigate into the issue of continuing education and professional development of nurses.

The school’s mission should be not only to educate, but also to shape attitudes within the scope of widely understood development - in individual, organisational and social dimension. It is worth mentioning that health is one of the basic elements of human development. It is essential not only in the biological sense, but it also has a significant impact on holistic, individual human development, as well as on his organisational and social operation - this is why health education is so important. A well-designed program of health education requires cooperation of educational leaders with healthcare sector, whereas the potential of such cooperation in Poland does not seem to have been fully discovered yet. Therefore, the aim of the study was to seek the views and attitudes of principals of Polish schools as regards cooperation with healthcare sector within the scope of health education. In order to achieve the intended result, I applied the qualitative methods, conducting standardized, partially structured, indepth interviews with principals of Polish schools. The analysed study results not only helped in describing the present situation, but above all allowed to develop recommendations for both educational sector and healthcare sector within the scope of cooperation, in favour of comprehensive student’s development.

Six years of studying Medicine, then thirteen months of internship and passing the Medical Final Examination, after that three to six years of specialisation training, as well as acquiring professional experience in order to, in few cases, decide to act in the position of a healthcare unit manager. Most of managers in Polish public healthcare organisations are medical professionals. In most cases they are medical doctors with outstanding academic and/or practical achievements within Medicine, nevertheless rarely they are medical professionals with background for such a difficult function which is acting in the position of a manager. As B. Freund’s study of 2016 proved, Polish curricula applied in Medicine Major study programmes are dominated by medical sciences, which is completely understandable, however when it comes to optional courses (i.e. those which can be chosen by a student) there is a lack of the possibility to choose classes related to management sciences, therefore it is of vital importance to create the possibility of alternative forms of medical doctors-managers education within the range of management sciences (e.g. non-degree post-graduate programmes or supplementary courses). Therefore the aim of the study is to perform an analysis of possibilities of lifelong learning of medical doctors who are managers, within the scope of organisation and management sciences. The analysis covers non-degree post-graduate programmes, as well as retraining courses as regards management sciences, dedicated to medical doctors who are managers. The study conclusions resulted in presentation of specific recommendations which can be useful in the process of preparation of educational programmes for medical doctors who are willing to advance their knowledge and improve skills as regards management.

Academic staff employed at universities have teaching, academic and organisational obligations, while expectations set for them exceed the norm adopted in the society. They are expected to conduct innovative research, publish ground-breaking discoveries, establish cooperation with leading scientific centres, obtain international grants, speak at conferences, conduct interesting classes for students and become involved in organisational activities at the university. In addition, such staff should have excellent manners and an impeccable ethical approach. The expectations are endless and their working hours are flexible. In this situation it is very difficult to ensure a good life-work balance, which is why it is necessary to implement centralised solutions as well as local actions at individual educational facilities in order to support the management of academic staff's health, as healthy employees have better conditions for personal development, contribute to the development of the university as an organisation and to social development by shaping subsequent generations of students. Therefore, the aim of this article is to present a health management system for academic staff from Polish higher education institutions to facilitate their own development as well as the development of the university and the society. To that end, desk research was performed by examining official national documents to search for systemic solutions aimed at maintaining good health of academic staff, and by browsing the websites of 10 best universities in Poland to find examples of lectures, workshops and initiatives dedicated to health and work-life balance of academic staff. The results of the research with conclusions and most of all recommendations may be useful to the management of higher education institutions, academic staff and all other parties interested in health and work-life balance.

Rola lidera edukacyjnego stanowi ogromne wyzwanie, zarówno dla początkującego, jak i bardziej doświadczonego dydaktyka. Specyfika roli wynika z dużej odpowiedzialności, jaką jest kształcenie przyszłych pokoleń. W przypadku szkolnictwa wyższego mowa już nie tylko o przekazywaniu podstawowej wiedzy, ale także o budowaniu wrażliwości społecznej i wzbogacaniu dorobku naukowego oraz kulturowego akademii. Zatem celem niniejszego artykułu jest określenie roli i znaczenia liderów edukacyjnych w procesie kształcenia lekarzy, a także dyskusja nad tym, jakie cechy, umiejętności, wartości oraz postawy powinni posiadać ci nauczyciele. Osoby które kształcą medyków, mogą mieć znaczący wpływ na to, jakimi lekarzami staną się ich studenci. Dydaktycy medyczni nie tylko przekazują specjalistyczną wiedzę, ale także poprzez wyrażane wartości, mogą wpłynąć na to, jakie przyszli lekarze będą mieli podejście do pacjentów, do innych profesjonalistów czy do dalszego doskonalenia zawodowego. Nie tak łatwo jest nauczać o tym, jak być dobrym, skutecznym lekarzem, ale jeszcze trudniej jest być przy tym wzorowym przykładem. Tymczasem taka integralność profesji lekarza i nauczyciela akademickiego może sprawić, że studenci zostaną lepiej przygotowani do pełnienia roli lekarza, ponieważ bezpośrednio od mistrza będą się uczyli nie tylko podręcznikowej medycyny, ale także postaw i zachowań. Rola lidera edukacyjnego jest bardzo trudna, bo wielozadaniowa, jednak w przypadku tych, którzy kształcą przyszłych lekarzy - wyzwanie jest jeszcze większe i rzeczywiście przywódcze.

Zdrowie od lat zajmuje czołowe miejsce na liście najważniejszych wartości w życiu człowieka, jednak wraz z postępem technologicznym i rozwojem współczesnego świata, ludzie zaczynają wymagać od systemu ochrony zdrowia czegoś więcej aniżeli skutecznego wyleczenia. Od lekarzy i pielęgniarek oczekują nie tylko specjalistycznej wiedzy i praktycznych umiejętności jej zastosowania, ale również wysokich kompetencji interpersonalnych i komunikacyjnych. Pacjenci nauczeni, że w każdej dziedzinie życia mają prawo głosu oraz prawo wyboru spośród wielu opcji dostępnych na rynku usług, oczekują tego także w systemie ochrony zdrowia. Zatem z jednej strony chcą być zaopiekowani i skutecznie leczeni przez wysokiej klasy specjalistów, a z drugiej marzy im się partnerska relacja oparta na dialogu. Ponadto w dobie rozwoju internetu oraz social media jednostki ochrony zdrowia muszą zabiegać o beneficjentów usług medycznych nie tylko poprzez doskonałą kadrę medyczną, ale także za pomocą szeregu zabiegów wizerunkowych. Obecnie widać zatem kolejne trudne wyzwania stojące przed menedżerami ośrodków ochrony zdrowia. Zatem głównym celem artykułu jest wskazanie największych, współczesnych wyzwań zarządzania organizacjami ochrony zdrowia w dobie wzrastających oczekiwań pacjentów.

Zdrowie jest jedną z najważniejszych wartości w życiu człowieka. Gdy zawodzi stanowi wystarczający powód by zaczął odczuwać lęk, niepokój, przerażenie, a czasem wyczerpującą bezradność wobec zaistniałej sytuacji. Kiedy pacjent wreszcie trafia do szpitala znajduje się w nieznanym mu, obcym miejscu, a jego stres nasila się z każdą chwilą. Najczęściej widzi obdrapane, a w najlepszym przypadku - sterylne ściany, zauważa labirynt korytarzy, w których łatwo pobłądzić, odczuwa twardość krzeseł, na których nie sposób odpocząć, wyczuwa zapach szpitalnej stołówki, w której odechciewa się spożywania posiłków i marzy tylko o tym by jak najszybciej się stamtąd ewakuować. Tymczasem ośrodek ochrony zdrowia powinien być miejscem wzbudzającym nadzieję na wyzdrowienie, na podniesienie jakości życia. Powinien być miejscem, które wzbudza pozytywne emocje, a atmosfera w nim panująca podtrzymuje na duchu tego zagubionego pacjenta. Jednak czy tak się dzieje? Jak powinna wyglądać idealna jednostka służby zdrowia? W jaki sposób stworzyć organizację ochrony zdrowia przyjazną pacjentom i ich bliskim? Jak zachęcić personel medyczny do aktywnego zaangażowania się w proces tworzenia idealnego szpitala? To tylko kilka z wielu nurtujących pytań dotyczących projektowania takich organizacji ochrony zdrowia, które będą spełniały potrzeby i oczekiwania pacjentów. Zatem celem niniejszego artykułu jest ukazanie szerokiego wachlarza sposobów i możliwości kreatywnego projektowania takich szpitali, które staną się miejscem przyjaznym pacjentom i ich najbliższym. Na początku jednak należy wyjaśnić, jak powstała taka idea traktowania beneficjentów usług medycznych oraz dlaczego tak istotne jest znaczenie otoczenia w procesie dochodzenia do zdrowia.

W kontekście zarządzania polskimi jednostkami ochrony zdrowia wiele mówi się o konieczności przekształceń strukturalnych, oszczędnościach finansowych czy dostępności do usług medycznych. Niestety wciąż zapomina się o kwestii przygotowania, wdrażania i nieustannego ulepszania spójnej polityki zarządzania kapitałem ludzkim; profesjonalistami, jakimi są osoby zwane ogólnie personelem medycznym. Tymczasem to właśnie kadra medyczna tworzy organizację jaką jest przychodnia, szpital czy zakład. Organizacje tworzone są przez ludzi. Konieczne jest zatem podkreślenie istoty niniejszego aspektu w zarządzaniu jednostkami służby zdrowia. Zatem celem niniejszej pracy jest ukazanie wyzwań, jakie stoją przed menedżerami organizacji ochrony zdrowia w aspekcie zarządzania personelem medycznym, podkreślając jak ważna jest perspektywa humanistyczno-społeczna w podejmowanych przez nich działaniach. Zanim jednak omówione zostaną wyzwania zarządzania personelem medycznym, należy przyjrzeć się koncepcji samego zarządzania kapitałem ludzkim w organizacji.

Managing healthcare organizations is a great challenge, as it requires an array of diverse leadership competencies that may be divided into 4 categories: technical competencies connected to management and organization in healthcare; cultural competencies referring to the mission, vision, values, norms and principles; interpersonal competencies concerning communication and teamwork skills; intrapersonal competencies including self-awareness and self-development. All the categories of competencies listed above are significant in leading a healthcare organization; however, nurses, doctors and directors may expect the manager to have different skills, as their roles in healthcare system are different and so are their expectations towards the leader. Therefore, the main aim of the research was to find out which of these leadership competencies are the most significant and which are the least important in managing healthcare organizations according to nurses, physicians/dentists/surgeons and leader/directors/managers of healthcare centres. In addition, the research aimed to find out the differences between the most important and the least important competencies selected by nurses, physicians/dentists/surgeons and leaders/directors/managers of healthcare centres. The research survey contained 40 mixed specific leadership competencies (10 from each of the categories) and the respondents were asked to name 10 of the competencies that they believed were the most significant and 10 the least important in exercising the function of healthcare organization’s leader/director/manager. The survey was conducted via Internet in order to access the largest possible number of respondents from various locations around Poland. The results of the research allowed to determine the leadership competencies that a leader of an healthcare organization should focus on in order to meet the needs of nurses and doctors. The conclusions from the research allowed also to formulate specific recommendations for managers of healthcare institutions.

Wartości uznawane przez ludzi odgrywają rolę motywującą i ukierunkowującą podejmowane przez nich działania. Przedmiotem zaprojektowanych badań są wartości leżące u podstaw profesjonalizmu zawodowego pielęgniarek/pielęgniarzy: (1) profesjonalna wiedza i umiejętności, (2) relacje między pracownikami, (3) troska o dobro pacjenta. Założono, że wartości te mogą się zmieniać wraz ze stażem pracy. W badaniu, w którym uczestniczyło 60 pielęgniarek, wykorzystano zmodyfikowany wywiad o Dylematach Życia Zawodowego, który swoje korzenie ma w Wywiadzie o Dylematach Biograficznych autorstwa Adama Niemczyńskiego. Wyniki wskazują, że wszystkie trzy wartości znalazły swoje odzwierciedlenie w zrekonstruowanych na podstawie wypowiedzi sposobach myślenia o profesjonalizmie. Potwierdziły się także założenia dotyczące zmiany w sposobie rozumienia profesjonalizmu w toku życia zawodowego, który przyjmuje kierunek od wiedzy i umiejętności, przez znaczenie relacji między pielęgniarkami, do troski o pacjenta. Accepted values are motivating and give direction to taken actions. The object of projected studies are values that underlie professional competence of nurses: (1) professional knowledge and skills, (2) relations among employees, (3) concern for the best interest of the patients. An assumption that the values can change along with the lenght of service has been done. In the research in which participated 60 nurses, modified questionnaire concerning Professional Life Dilemmas, based on Biographic Dilemmas Questionaire by Adam Niemczyński, was used. The results indicate that all the three values are reflected in the way of thinking about the professionalism, reconstituted from the statements in the questionnaire. The assumptions concerning the change in the way of understanding of the professionalism during working life, that goes from knowledge and skills, through the importance of the relation among nurses to the concern for the patient are confirmed.