TTLV: Developing a competency framework for administrative and management personnel at the Transport Hospital.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS

1. Student's full name: BUI THANH TAM 2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: January 27, 1983

4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision No. 5626/QD-XHNV dated December 29, 2023, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, recognizing the student.

6. Changes in the training process: None

7. Thesis Title: “Developing a Competency Framework for Administrative and Management Staff at the Transport Hospital”

8. Major: Office Management Thesis Code: 8340406

9. Instructor: Dr. Tran Thanh Tung - Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

10. Summary of the thesis results:

Chapter 1. Theoretical and Legal Basis for Developing a Competency Framework

In Chapter 1, the author systematically presents the theoretical and legal basis for building a competency framework, focusing on the concept of a competency framework as a system of behavioral, knowledge, skills, and attitude standards (KSA) to measure and develop individual and team performance.

The author emphasizes the importance of competency frameworks in public administration office management, helping to reduce subjectivity in performance evaluation by up to 35% and supporting administrative reform in accordance with Resolution 18-NQ/TW (2017). The principles of development include scientific rigor, fairness, suitability to Vietnamese collective culture, and flexibility according to job title levels. The development process is described in five steps: needs identification, data collection, factor analysis, framework design, and pilot implementation.

Regarding the legal basis, the author analyzes state regulations (Law on Public Employees 58/2010/QH12; Decree 170/2025/ND-CP) and the health sector (Circular 19/2018/TT-BYT amended in 2025; Decision 2755/QD-BYT 2025), affirming that the competency framework is a mandatory tool for standardizing job positions, meeting the requirements for autonomy of public non-business units according to Decree 60/2021/ND-CP.

Chapter 2. Current status of office staff capabilities at the Transport Hospital

In Chapter 2, the author provided an overview of the Transport Hospital – a Grade I general hospital with 500 beds, 34 departments/wards, and 362 staff members, operating under a corporatized model (with the majority state capital) since 2006. It has achieved many accomplishments, such as the First Class Labor Medal, but faces challenges in digital transformation during the 2019-2023 period (a 22% decrease in administrative efficiency due to the pandemic).

The quantitative survey results (n=70, 5-point Likert scale, Cronbach's α reliability >0.85) showed that overall competence was at an average level (mean=3.8/5), with strengths in public service ethics (mean=4.2) and weaknesses in IT/digital transformation (mean=3.2). EFA analysis identified three main factors (explaining 72% of the variance: Factor 1 - organization/management eigenvalue=28.48; Factor 2 - collaboration/teamwork; Factor 3 - self-learning/adaptation). OLS regression indicated that competence influenced 60.9% of performance (R²=0.609, p<0.001), with the implementation factor (human resource policy β=0.323, p=0.003) having the strongest impact.

Further in-depth interviews confirmed the limitations: the lack of evaluation standards leads to inconsistent performance (70% of leaders agreed), and suggested prioritizing digital training to overcome cultural barriers (SD=0.75 in a diverse demographic: 55% female, 45% under 35 years old).

Chapter 3. Developing a competency framework and implementation measures at the Transport Hospital.

In Chapter 3, the author developed a competency framework consisting of 11 components hierarchically categorized by job position (basic/advanced/leadership), integrating four groups: core (ethics, communication mean > 4.0), management (organization, coordination), expertise (IT, service), and support (self-learning, adaptation), based on a five-step process derived from practical data (EFA and interviews). The framework is designed to be flexible and suitable for job titles according to Circular 02/2025/TT-BYT, with a 360° assessment scale and KPIs (e.g., behavioral completion rate ≥80%).

The implementation measures include: (1) Developing a plan (budget of VND 150 million, 12-month roadmap); (2) Organizing implementation through 3 phases (implementation in January-March: training 75% of personnel; monitoring in September-December: quarterly evaluation R²>0.70); (3) Periodic evaluation according to Article 19 of the Law on Public Employees, forecasting a 25% increase in performance after the first year (pre-post test mean from 3.8 to 4.2). The author emphasizes integrating DigComp 2.0 to support digital transformation and ensure sustainability.

11. Practical applications:

This thesis has high applicability in the practical management of Vietnamese healthcare administration, especially in autonomous hospitals like the Ministry of Transport, where the competency framework can be directly integrated into the employee evaluation system (reducing document processing time by 22%, according to survey data). The results can be scaled up for public service units (according to Decree 60/2021/ND-CP), supporting recruitment/assignment adjustments (increasing coordination efficiency by 25%), and digital training (DigLit 1.0 module).

Hospital leaders can use the Excel KPI dashboard to monitor and improve the organization's image, contributing to the implementation of Resolution 76/2021/QH14 on administrative reform. It is recommended that the hospital conduct a pilot program in 2-3 departments for verification, with internal reports serving as a basis for expansion.

12. Future research directions:

Further research directions could include: (1) Assessing the long-term impact of the competency framework after 2-3 years of implementation at the Transport Hospital, using a multivariate regression model (SEM) to measure sustainability; (2) Comparing the healthcare administrative competency framework between public and private hospitals, focusing on organizational culture factors (according to Schein, 2010); (3) Integrating AI/blockchain into digital competencies, conducting empirical research at central-level hospitals (n>200); (4) Conducting an international survey comparing it with the European EQF framework, aiming to propose national policies on healthcare administrative competency according to the Draft Law on Civil Servants amended 2025. These directions will contribute to enriching the theory of public personnel management in general and healthcare personnel management in particular.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None

MASTER THESIS DETAIL

1. Student's full name:Bui Thanh Tam

2. Gender: female

3. Date of birth: January 27, 1983

4. Birthplace: Hanoi, Vietnam

5. Student recognition decision number: 5626/QD-XHNV dated December 29, 2023 by the Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

6. Changes in the training process:

7. Thesis title:"Building a competency framework for staff in the Administrative management Department, Transport Hospital”

8. Major: Office Administration Subject code: 8340406

9. Instructor: Dr. Tran Thanh Tung - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

10. Summary of the results of the thesis

Chapter 1. Theoretical and Legal Basis for Building the Competency Framework

In Chapter 1, the author presents the theoretical and legal foundations for building the competency framework, with a focus on the concept of competency framework as a system of behavioral standards, knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) to measure and develop individual-organizational performance. The author emphasizes the importance of the competency framework in public office administration, helping to reduce subjectivity in performance evaluation by up to 35% and supporting administrative reform under Resolution 18-NQ/TW (2017). The principles of construction include scientific rigor, fairness, alignment with Vietnam's collective cultural context, and flexibility according to job levels. The construction process is described through 5 steps: identifying needs, collecting data, factor analysis, framework design, and pilot implementation. Regarding the legal basis, the author analyzed state regulations (Law on Public Employees No. 58/2010/QH12; Decree 170/2025/ND-CP) and healthcare sector regulations (Circular 19/2018/TT-BYT amended 2025; Decision 2755/QD-BYT 2025), affirming that the competency framework is a mandatory tool for standardizing job positions, meeting the requirements of autonomy in public service units under Decree 60/2021/ND-CP.

Chapter 2. Current Status of Office Staff Competencies at Transport Hospital (GTVT)

In Chapter 2, the author provided an overview of Transport Hospital (GTVT) – a Grade I general hospital with 500 beds, 34 departments/rooms, and 362 staff members, operating under a joint-stock model (with state capital holding the majority) since 2006, achieving numerous achievements such as the First-Class Labor Medal but facing digital transformation challenges during 2019-2023 (a 22% decline in administrative efficiency due to the pandemic). Quantitative survey results (n=70, 5-point Likert scale, reliability Cronbach's α >0.85) showed overall competency at a moderate level (mean=3.8/5), with strengths in public service ethics (mean=4.2) and weaknesses in IT/digital transformation (mean=3.2). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) identifies 3 main factors (explaining 72% of variance: Factor 1 - organization/management with eigenvalue=28.48; Factor 2 - coordination/teamwork; Factor 3 - self-learning/adaptation). OLS regression indicates that competencies influence 60.9% of effectiveness (R²=0.609, p<0.001), with implementation factors (human resource policies β=0.323, p=0.003) having the strongest impact. In-depth interviews supplemented confirmation of limitations: lack of evaluation standards leading to inconsistent performance (70% of leaders agreed), and recommendations to prioritize digital training to overcome cultural barriers (SD=0.75 in diverse demographics: 55% female, 45% under 35 years old).

Chapter 3. Building the Competency Framework and Implementation Measures at Transport Hospital (GTVT)

In Chapter 3, the author constructed a competency framework including 11 components tiered by job positions (basic/advanced/leadership), integrating 4 groups: core (ethics, communication with mean>4.0), management (organization, coordination), professional (IT, service), and supplementary (self-learning, adaptation), based on a 5-step process from empirical data (EFA and interviews). The framework is designed to be flexible, aligned with job titles under Circular 02/2025/TT-BYT, featuring 360° evaluation scales and KPIs (eg, behavior completion rate ≥80%). Implementation measures include: (1) Developing a plan (budget 150 million VND, 12-month roadmap); (2) Organizing execution through 3 phases (implementation months 1-3: training 75% of staff; monitoring months 9-12: quarterly evaluations with R²>0.70); (3) Periodic evaluation per Article 19 of the Law on Public Employees, forecasting a 25% increase in performance after the first year (pre-post test mean from 3.8 to 4.2). The author emphasizes integration of DigComp 2.0 to support digital transformation, ensuring sustainability.

11. Practical Application Potential:

The thesis has high practical applicability in Vietnam's healthcare administrative management, particularly at autonomous hospitals like Transport, where the competency framework can be directly integrated into employee evaluation systems (reducing document processing time by 22%, per survey data). Results can be scaled to other public service units (under Decree 60/2021/ND-CP), supporting recruitment/reassignment (increasing coordination efficiency by 25%), and digital training (DigLit 1.0 modules). Hospital leaders can utilize Excel KPI dashboards for monitoring, contributing to enhanced organizational image and implementation of Resolution 76/2021/QH14 on administrative reform. Recommend that the hospital conduct a pilot implementation in 2-3 departments for validation, using internal reports as a basis for expansion.

12. Future Research:

Future research directions could expand as follows: (1) Evaluating the long-term impact of the competency framework after 2-3 years of implementation at Transport Hospital (GTVT), using multivariate regression models (SEM) to measure sustainability; (2) Comparing healthcare administrative competency frameworks between public and private hospitals, focusing on organizational culture factors (per Schein, 2010); (3) Integrating AI/blockchain into digital competencies, with experimental studies at central-level hospitals (n>200); (4) International comparative surveys with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), to propose national policies on healthcare administrative competencies under the Draft Amended Law on Public Employees 2025. These directions will enrich the theory of public human resource management in general and the healthcare sector in particular.

13. Published works related to the thesis: None