An educational training needs assessment for nursing and hospital support staff was undertaken at a country hospital to collect data for use in designing a staff development program for the institution. After gathering the perceptions of key hospital staff concerning the hospital's mission, future, strengths, weaknesses, and problems to establish a frame of organizational reference, a three-phase needs assessment was conducted. Formal in-depth interviews of upper and middle management were held to determine which managerial traits should be reinforced through training programs; opinions on educational needs were obtained from a sample of supervisors in a structured group meeting which followed a prescribed sequence of problem-solving techniques; and a questionnaire on management needs was given to nineteen staff members. These needs assessments revealed a need for developing leadership skills and open communication among and within departments, personal time management, counseling and discipline interviews, applying management principles, and fostering an open climate to develop team work and good staff attitudes. As a result of the needs assessment two courses for supervisory staff on the principles of management and management of time and people were developed. Course purposes, objectives, content, resources, and teaching methods were outlined. (MN)