How to advance to middle management in nursing

dthfytr, ADN, LPN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-I · Apr 3, 2011

Seems appropriate except the part about leadership.

Michele1377 · Apr 3, 2011

I guess it is just something that is inherent to the position - part of the reason I never sought any type of position like that - would have felt the need to compromise my principles for the sake of my job - something that (even after 18 yrs of working in the same department) I am still unwilling to do.

Michele

gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN · Apr 3, 2011

You forgot, create endless paperwork for staff so they cannot attend to their patients!

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 3, 2011

op: are you in middle management now? if so, what made you think that it was any different (more effective) then a career by the bedside? i have no delusions that when i leave the bedside to go to management i will be able to leave politics and make a difference related to patient care. bedside nurses are ineffective regarding patient care due to management. in fact, everything you have written describes bedside nursing. the mess (used for a lack of a cleaner term) runs top down in nursing. non-nurses set the standards in our profession. we nurses are just along for the ride.

by the way, do you make more? do you have more flexibility related to your hours? just curious. my managers seem to leave early on fridays and come in (if he/she wants) on the weekends.

-management bound!

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2011

op: are you in middle management now? if so, what made you think that it was any different (more effective) then a career by the bedside? i have no delusions that when i leave the bedside to go to management i will be able to leave politics and make a difference related to patient care. bedside nurses are ineffective regarding patient care due to management. in fact, everything you have written describes bedside nursing. the mess (used for a lack of a cleaner term) runs top down in nursing. non-nurses set the standards in our profession. we nurses are just along for the ride.
by the way, do you make more? do you have more flexibility related to your hours? just curious. my managers seem to leave early on fridays and come in (if he/she wants) on the weekends.
-management bound!

lol as a manager yes sometimes i leave early on fridays sometimes i dont work-but be reasurred i will have done 80 hours that week and still have work to do at the weekend at home.

Katie5 · Apr 3, 2011

If it's that bad, why are you still in it?

NPinWCH · Apr 3, 2011

The problem with middle management is that you are in the middle. You don't really have much pull, you simply enforce whatever rules come from above you. You might be able to make some small change in some new piece of nonsense they say your unit now must do, but you're still going to have to see that it's done.

I liked management when I had some freedom to do things and make changes, but I hated telling my staff that they would now have to jump through more hoops or do more useless, repetitive paper work. I also hated when my staff blamed me for it, but knew it was part of the territory. I really hated meetings that lasted HOURS and accomplished nothing when I did have a pile of work on my desk that I would now need to do at home.

And I'm no longer in it...

ZippyGBR, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2011

Step one: Turn off your sense of irony
Step two: disengage your creativity
Step three: deactivate your intellect
Step four: ensure your BS meter is in the off position
Step Five: k-y your nose
Step six: become proficient in the art of "passing the buck"
Humm... I feel cheated, they never taught this is "leadership" class.

step 7 be prepared to earn less than your underlings ... ( to earn what i earned in 2010-11 in a management role i'd need to be 4 or 5 increments up band 7 and I haven't topped out band 5 yet)

rngreenhorn · Apr 3, 2011

Yep, if anyone ever offers a "salaried position"--- RUN!

I'm not in management (I used to be), the list is just general observations that I have made. As always though, when speaking in stereotypes, there are exceptions.

We are talking about people afterall... and, in general, people suck. *preparing for the "shame on you! How can you be a nurse with a lousy attitude like that? Nursing is a special calling. We are here to save everyone with love and compassion. You are an evil mean person who has no place in nursing" speech*

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Apr 3, 2011

I managed a 26 bed surgical ICU at a tertiary care/level one trauma center. It was the most difficult, unrewarding and hopeless job I ever had, and I wouldn't do it again for a million dollars a year. My hat is off to dedicated unit managers everywhere for taking on the thankless job and accompanying mundane responsibilities that must be done for the rest of us to do our best at providing patient care.