Survey: Which of the following factors most negatively influences nurses morale?

I consider a good nurse manager to be able to handle a schedule request from a staff member w/o giving this person a long and boring lecture. You know the one, How come you cannot schedule this appointment on your day off? You have explained that this is a specialist and you take what is open. I expect the NM to fairly rotate holidays, vacation time, and off shifts. I expect a true and honest evaluation of my skills. This should be based on what a "real Nurse" does in a week's time. I expect the NM to go to bat for her staff when the floor in High Acuity level and they want a Nurse to float to tele/ER so they will be covered. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, when most of the individual's I know reach NM they forget about staff concerns and do whatever corporate tells them to do. I have had only 2 good managers in over 20 years. It only took about 3 to 5 years for corporate to replace them with someone who towed the CRAP Line. In my opinion most NM have to be able to lie to your face and think "I never have to worry about being there again." I love it when they are given their walking papers and they expect sympathy from the staff the helped to abuse. I have been able to look more than one in the eye and say, "what goes around comes around."

talked to nurse friend she was fired. she worked endo, refused to start procedure before ffp(fresh frozen plazma) and platelets given fired for insubordination. unemployemnt agency turned her down for unemployment, any help out there?? patients labs off, and case could have waited until next morning. any endo nurses. the hospital told her she is NOT there ot judge the Dr , what he does is not ot be questioned.

Infinity....I finally made it back!!..........For your research on "What make's a good manager?"...................May I suggest some helpful books on this subject...........................The Art of Managing People by: Phillip L. Hunsaker and Anthony J. Alessandra, .........The Nurse Managers Survival Guide by: T. M. Marrelli ,............The Nurse Manager's Problem Solver by: Tim Porter O'Grady. These have and are a fine reference which I've gained some professional growth.............To be a good manager you need to successfully develop skills and styles on managing people, goal-setting and problem solving. This depends on ones psychologic makeup..........A healthy respect for your staff and yourself.....A respect that all human-beings deserve. Be a professional role modle by acting and dressing appropriate. Promote a stable trusting enviroment.........Best wishes on your research project!!

Well, I'm just a new grad only into it six months, but from what I can gather from talking with some of the nurses there, it's management.

They will tell the managers the same problems, only NEVER to see anything done about the problems on the floor. I told them the SAME exact problems in my 90 day outbrief, and the older nurses had to laugh ... "oh, we've been telling them that forever -- they just continue to do nothing about it."

Being new, I can't figure out what these managers DO. I surely don't see them in the pt's rooms -- only "rounding" in the rooms, which means they're checking off all the negatives they can find -- and literally asking the patient, right in front of you, how they 'feel about the care they've received that day." Talk about being on the spot.

One comes in from 8 to 4 and just seems to do scheduling. She's totally smart assed and just basically ignores us new grads. The other slinks around w/ her clipboard doing her "rounds." Yet ANOTHER manager combs through charts making sure everything has been done right. I've never figured out what we really need that 3rd manager for.

But somehow, the "lazy" nurses never get caught and the "pets" get their rewards. OUr managers treat the travelers like gold and treat staff like dirt. Makes no sense.

I'm sure I"m only getting a first look at the horrors to come. So many nurses on our unit are counting the days until they are out of their contracts and can leave.

If I was a manager of such an organization w/ such low morale, I'd be ashamed of myself.

I think your spot on Brian with your list in order of importance. Bravo!