Second career Nurse moving up?

[kcdunlap]

I'm a second career nurse. In previous lives I have been a project manger of construction firm, and I ran my own cleaning business. I just got a job with Genesis. I'm trying to figure out how I can possibly move up to management. Is there a time frame I should prepare to put in before trying to figure it out?

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

How long have you been a nurse? There are no hard and fast rules for when to try to move up the management ladder and most times it has not too much to do with how long one has been a nurse. I was a staff nurse at a long term care facility for one year....the next year I was in management. I worked my way up the ladder and am now the DNS. There are nurses who've been nurses longer than I have (ok...not many) but they don't have the personality or temperment to be managers.

I'm of the mind that the managers need to know more than the staff but that's just me.

[PeacockMaiden]

Call me cynical, but a key factor in moving up in a SNF is favoritism. Where I work there are cliques, and if you're not in the circle of friends with other management, you won't move up.

[kcdunlap]

How long have you been a nurse? There are no hard and fast rules for when to try to move up the management ladder and most times it has not too much to do with how long one has been a nurse. I was a staff nurse at a long term care facility for one year....the next year I was in management. I worked my way up the ladder and am now the DNS. There are nurses who've been nurses longer than I have (ok...not many) but they don't have the personality or temperment to be managers.

I'm of the mind that the managers need to know more than the staff but that's just me.

18 months as a nurse. I'll never "know more stuff then staff" for a very long time. So, I'm hoping that my need to be a leader can help me over come that at some point.

[kcdunlap]

Call me cynical, but a key factor in moving up in a SNF is favoritism. Where I work there are cliques, and if you're not in the circle of friends with other management, you won't move up.

I'm pretty sure that some of that might be part of the game where I work. I plan to have a heart to heart with my ADON as I know she is a second career nurse. And try to figure out how to get connected.

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

i always heard it was about three years, but like you KC, i had prior administrative and mang. experience, it was about a year or so ADON, then DON, then regional nurse consultant, some eventually make it to clinical director

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

LOL favoritism. I worked my way up from being an aide to being the director of nursing because I am very smart and work very hard. I've left facilities because they did play favorites when promoting people. If I knew I was qualified for the job and didn't get it because a favorite did, I had no problem going somewhere where my skills would be appreciated.

[rcdmichelle]

Well said. I also was an aide and am now don