Does anyone have a GOOD manager

CathyLew · Mar 4, 2011

I had several great managers. And they all quit because of lack of support from administration....which leaves the not so great managers left. Warm bodies. and that seemed to be what administration wanted.

MouseMichelle · Mar 4, 2011

I had a few good managers one I truly adored. She would support us nurses no matter what knowing that we did what we could in the patient's best interest, she would take our side if family, docs etc had issues but only if she knew we were in the right. If I had any issues with anyone or with policy or coworkers or patients she would listen and handle it all very fairly. When I was having physical issues she was very fair and let me take a few months off to recuperate. She made money for the company but without using us as nurses or using patients as money makers. If we needed extra education she would give it to us. She would stand up for us in terms of how much we got paid.

There are good managers out there.

Mouse.

anonymurse · Mar 4, 2011

The best, and that's far more important than what kind of unit I work on. I'll search for a good manager at other hospitals when she retires, because there's no manager near as good as she is elsewhere in this hospital (there are some who'll be great managers if they ever get picked, but they don't count).

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2011

I did have a good manager once. ONCE. I have been a nurse for 13 years, and the NM I am referring to was the one I had during a travel assignment. She was absolutely GOLDEN. She would go out of her way to check on every single nurse working that day, and would sit down and talk to you if you asked her for some time. She did not "schedule" a time to do it, but would find a replacement for you RIGHT THEN so she could talk to you in private.

She was very supportive of staff who were in school, and the nurses who were working on furthering their career. She met with them often and collaboratively worked on plans for her staff to achieve the goals that they set for themselves.

I can remember a specific example that just blew me away. I had the flu and called out early in the morning. My phone rang at about 0745 and it was the NM. I was fully expecting a reaming since I was a traveler and since I had only been there a couple of weeks. Instead, she asked me for my address and told me that she would be over at my apt. at 1500 with chicken soup, Tylenol, and Gatorade. She was simply a very caring person, and extended that sentiment to every single one of her employees. She was a gem!

I will never forget her and the kindness and sincerity that she bestowed upon every person she encountered. She is a true role model and I miss her everyday.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Mar 4, 2011

i have been reading some of the recent posts about rude and unprofessional nurse managers. as a manager myself, i am appalled at some of the behaviors described here. i have been an rn for over 20 years, and a manager for a total of seven, and i have never seen or heard one of my managers behave inappropriately. perhaps i have been lucky, but i have had a number of kind and supportive managers throughout my career. so can anybody share some stories about good managers, just to let me know there are some out there?

i've had some good managers and some bad ones -- some really bad ones. but you asked about the good ones.

there was judy, who stood up for her staff no matter what. if you were wrong, you'd hear about it from her later, but she never threw her staff under the bus, trashed us or stabbed us in the back. and if you needed help (when i suddenly had to go from 12 hours a week to 36 or vice versa) she bent over backwards to help out.

there was nancy, who made every effort to get to know all of her staff. if there was an opportunity that she thought you were right for, she'd pass it on: a class to take or teach, a different shift or job -- whatever.

my current manager is wonderful too, but since i'm on call i don't have time to list the ways . . .

gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN · Mar 4, 2011

I have a good NM and also good charge nurses. If I did not I would be gone in one minute flat. Truly that is the only thing that keeps me going into that place. I consider myself easy to get along with. I am always early, never call off, do whatever is needed. But, if this situation changes anytime soon I will hit the road. You must also consider that I only make 18/hour. After taxes my last paycheck was 880 for 2 weeks. That is 440/week for a RN so you can imagine I better have good nurse managers!

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Mar 4, 2011

I have had good and mediocre. I've never had "bad" to the degree I see described here. I had one who went through a divorce and subsequent nervous breakdown and tried to make all of us as miserable as she was. Didn't work and she got fired in short order. I was a manager for a few years. Hated it and suspect I was merely mediocre. I had some really terrible employees that made it an unhappy experience. I wouldn't do it again if they paid in bearer bonds.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2011

We have a fabulous manager. She supports us nurses all she can.

If we are having a really bad day/week she will buy pizza lunch for us.

When my Mother died, she was very supportive, giving me extra time off until I was ready to come back, and then checking in on me my first shift back to make sure I was OK. She even asked (before I got back) what she could do to make my return better. My only request was that I would not get a palliative pt for a week or so and that was honoured.

She also tells us that if we need to pay over time to cover a sick call on a weekend to just go ahead and do it.

RxOnly · Mar 4, 2011

I can't go into details about the situation, but let me tell you: My nurse manager just saved my job and I am convinced that a lot of it had to do with the goodness of her heart. She's willing to look at both sides of the story and she understands that her staff have lives outside of the facility. I'm lucky to have such an understanding manager :redpinkhe

carluvscats · Mar 4, 2011

I also have a great manager. I'm pretty new on the floor and work weird shifts, but she always asks me how I'm doing, whenever she sees me, without fail. Just the simple act of checking in somehow makes a world of difference to me.

I also have very excellent charge nurses. I feel like I ask about a billion questions during some shifts and they never belittle me. As a newer nurse, I just appreciate their patience so much!

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 5, 2011

I have had two excellent managers - the one I have now and the one I had before her. I will never, never, never quit my job because I know the She lets us do our job and backs us up if a situation ever comes up. She's fair though. We had a nurse who was accused of sexually harrassing a male patient (and a man complaining of sexual harrassment means it must have been pretty bad) and she went through the proper steps to have her removed.

I got to step into her shoes for a minute. I was asked to be her back-up when she was on vacation. It was supposed to be in name only, but a situation came up where I had to deal with the entire team. I was stunned at how many of my team members were prima donnas. They wanted extra pay for this and special treatment for that. I couldn't believe it! It made me appreciate my boss even more. Were I the manager I don't know if I would be so kind to some of these people.