[KayKB]

I'm new to nursing management and could use a mentor!! Do other nurse managers have to work as house supervisors on holidays?

[canoehead]

We have a small hospital where the managers cover for sups, as well as for their own departments. However, the sups sign up to cover holes in the department's schedule, as well as their own so it all works out in the end. We have some regular staff on the floor trained to work as fill-in supervisors when the need arises, although they know to call admin if they run into a situation they can't handle.

We only have 4 managers and 4 sups, so possibly the close relationships encourage us to help each other out. I can see where it wouldn't work as well in a larger hospital.

[KayKB]

What I don't like about this new requirement is the entire nurse manager team is not being required to take part. The new managers want to know why all the nurse mangers aren't being required to be put in the rotation. This doesn't seem fair.

[canoehead]

Absolutely, it should be all or none, and not just the staff you feel you can intimidate into doing it.

[RNPATL]

I recently left a nurse manager position where I was running med-surg, surgical step down and the outpatient and inpatient oncology department. There was a long standing battle between the shift supervisors and the nurse managers. However, our CNO did not require any of the nurse managers to rotate through supervision, let alone have to cover on holidays. There would have been no way I could have managed to cover on a holiday for a shift supervisor. I was too busy staffing my units and trying to keep them all running. With the nursing shortage and nurse managers being forced to hire many new graduates, it was difficult enough to run the units let alone do anything else.

My suggestion is to meet with your Director and CNO together and express your concerns. I know from expoerience that a group meeting (as a united front) is not always the best approach when you are in management. Let the CNO know of your concerns and respectfully request that she/he reconsider the policy. In addition, express your feeling that it is unfair that only the new nurse managers are required to rotate through. I think your Director and CNO will certainly appreciate your frankness and they will also appreciate the fact that the CNO was not put on the spot by a group of new managers standing together. That is my opinion. Good luck. Being a nurse manager in today's hospitals can be one of the most challenging jobs you will ever have. If done correctly, it can also be one of the most rewarding. But, the stress of being the middle man can really play havoic with your nerves and life in general. Make sure you take time for yourslef and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY to taking that time for yourself. You need it after spending your entire days giving to everyone. Good luck.

[LINDA BOSS]

I am an RN, MSN of 30 years and am a Director for Med-Surg, CCU and Tele and was told after I was hired into a new job recently that I would share being day house supervisor with the other directors one day a week (12 hour shifts), perform 5 days a week as Director and rotate holidays. Now how does that float your boat? After 30 years, I would like to get out of nursing completely. It just isn't worth loosing time with your own family and grandchildren.

[kat911]

As one of four shift supervisors I appreciate the Nurse managers working one holiday shift per year. All of them are included and there is always at least one of us "Regulars" on one of the shifts during the holiday for backup. We are part of management, it would not be fair for us to work all the holidays. The NM's used to have to rotate days on the weekends as well. Now we cover the weedends with 12 hour killer shifts. Usually the NM's take off and extra day to pay them back for the holiday they work. It also helps them to know what it's like after hours.

[Tweety]

Managers have to work as house supervisors one weekend a month. We are a medium-sized facility so usually it works out to six hours a month (they split the 12-hour shift into six hours). The idea being you get out of your area and see how the rest of the place works, and how sometimes your decisions affect other units.

Managers also have to cover 8 hours on holidays. Again, it works out that usually only two holidays are worked a year. There's a sign up sheet and managers sign up for their preference. The supervisors on that day still have to work, but work only the other two 8-hour shifts.