Many of the nursing situations described in this book have taken place in hospital settings, where the nursing service is a shared responsibility of many nurses in a range of functional roles. Nurses in such settings generally nurse many persons intensively and simultaneously and share direct nursing responsibility with one or two other nurses. How can nurses in institutional practice settings be supported so that calls for nursing can be heard and nursing responses made? What is the role of the nurse administrator in supporting the practice of nurses? It is important to understand clearly the difference between the practice of administration which happens to be delivered by nurses and the practice of nursing administration. Tead (1951) defines administration as "the comprehensive effort to direct, guide, and integrate associated human strivings which are focused toward some specific ends or aims" (p. 3). For example, goals of administration could be business, governmental, education, or nursing. In this definition, it is evident that the focus must be made clear. It is not adequate to have an understanding of administration as a role which is focused in functions such as interpersonal, informational, and decisional. Such a perspective ignores the value of persons and the ministering responsibilities inherent in the role. The administrator must connect his or her work to the direct work of nursing. Nursing administration by name suggests a groundedness in the discipline. The role of the nursing administrator could indeed be questioned if the focus of the administrative practice is not nursing. There is the assumption that the administration of nursing is practiced from a particular conception of nursing in which the focus or goal of nursing is clear. What the nursing administrator says and does as nurse must reflect the uniqueness of the discipline so that nursing's unique contributions are assured. Nursing administrators must also be able to articulate the unique contributions of nursing to other members of the interdisciplinary health care team. The relationship of the nurse administrator's role to direct care is implicit in this perspective. The nursing administrator describes him or herself as directly involved in the care of persons. All activities of the nursing administrator are ultimately directed to the person(s) being nursed. It is essential that this direct connection to the goal of nursing be made and that persons assuming nursing administration positions be able to articulate their unique role contributions to nursing care. Without this clarity of focus, one may be engaged in the practice of administration but not nursing administration.