BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Human resources is one of the most important factors in the process of production, as well as the greatest asset of every healthcare institution. Resolution of hospital issues regarding the provision and management of human resources has been a major concern in the field of health care. This study aimed to evaluate human resources in the hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences and Social Security of Qaemshahr city in Iran based on the standards of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an analytical-descriptive approach in 2015 in the hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences and Social Security of Qaemshahr city, Iran. Sample size consisted of all the hospital personnel, with the exception of physicians and maintenance staff. Data were collected using checklists via interviews with head nurses and supervisors. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V.19 .

FINDINGS: In total, 3,130 personnel employed at seven hospitals were enrolled in this study. Lowest mean age of human resources was reported in Ayatollah Rohani Hospital (33.74±5.907 years). In addition, the highest number of health care providers in proportion to the total of human resources was reported in Ayatollah Rohani Hospital of Babol and Valiasr Hospital affiliated to the Social Security of Qaemshahr city (65.7% and 64.7%, respectively). Between the studied hospitals, no significant difference was observed regarding the mean of human resources (p=0.921). However, a significant difference was observed in the distribution of nursing human resources compared to the standards of the Ministry of Health (p<0.001). So that the manpower shortage in medical sections and paraclinic centers in most centers was observed.

CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the selected hospitals had surplus of human resources in financial and administrative departments, while shortage of human resources was observed in medical and paraclinical units. Therefore, it is recommended that planning and organization of human resources be performed based on the standards of the Ministry of Health for the recruitment, development and transfer of healthcare personnel