A national survey was conducted as part of the UCLA Allied Health Professions Project to: (1) analyze the various levels of personnel performing non-clinical tasks within the hospital nursing unit (ward), (2) determine the components of a curriculum for training such personnel, and (3) determine the feasibility of developing a pattern of upward career mobility in administration of the hospital nursing unit. A task inventory consisting of 169 tasks grouped as either clerical or management functions was developed and distributed to a panel of experts and to 243 unit administration personnel. Responses from 189 employees and the expert panel revealed that: (1) Tasks clustered into two groups, with one group comprising tasks which might be accomplished by clerical personnel and the other comprising tasks which might be performed by managerial personnel; (2) In general, the current performance of tasks by various occupational levels is at a variance with practices recommended by the expert panel; and (3) The expert panel rated many tasks higher in difficulty than the personnel performing them. Implications for curriculum development are included, and the survey questionnaires and other study materials are appended. (SB)