Admin nurse returns to bedside and.....

[duskyjewel]

So when a nurse who was working in an admin role comes back to the bedside, and starts complaining about the same things she minimized and ignored, is it evil to enjoy that just a little bit?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Am not sure why you would take joy out of this situation?

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

The PP would be taking a measure of joy BECAUSE the very things that this administrator had minimized and ignored were now causing the ADMINISTRATOR distress instead of just the lowly floor nurses (reading as 'administrator did not care about problems of the floor when she was administrator, but now that it personally affects HER.....she cares'.)

Does this sound about right?

In which case....some might consider Karma at play.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Brings to mind a time when charge nurses, unit coordinators and nurse managers were all given the "ok to take off weekends and holidays" green light.

Then staffing crimps meant that charge nurses were being put back on their previous schedules (including weekends and holidays) and when they complained, the 'higher ups' all tut-tutted, saying it was just too bad, oh well, "everyone" has to do their part.

Ok.

And then the directive came through that those very same 'higher ups' ALSO had to throw in some weekend and holiday time....and you never HEARD such an uproar. When it was charge nurses, it was "oh well". When it was THEM....might just as well have been threatening to kill their firstborn, suggesting they had to work a holiday!

[nowim clean]

I have been saying if they the admins had to work the way they may us and the same work load put on them or if they simply had to be a patient and see first hand things that are missed changes would be made and we would get some help. Yes I'd be smiling knowing that now they were feeling our pain first hand.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I can understand a bitter staff nurse getting a little joy from seeing the administrator suffer ...

It's kind'a like the joy I get when I see a staff nurse who thinks she knows it all and could fix everything if only she were given a chance ... get promoted into a leadership role and find out that those jobs are a lot harder than she thought.

[macawake, MSN]

No, I honestly don’t think that I would derive any pleasure from seeing that happen. It would be exactly what I’d expect would happen in a situation like that, though. It would come as no surprise that an individual’s outlook would change when her place/role in the organization changes.

I honestly feel that being a “middle” manager is one of the most thankless jobs out there. You have no real power, you’re just in place to implement the wishes of the higher ups. You have very little leeway, you work within the restraints of clearly defined parameters. You are accountable to those who have the genuine control of the organization, and at the same time you have to deal with a lot of pressure and demands from your staff.

You’re being simultaneously and mercilessly “squeezed” from two directions.

Being a working stiff myself, I can certainly empathize with the complaints that nurses have against how a hospital floor is run, I’ve been known to make them myself on occasion However, I think it would be useful for many people who’ve never functioned in the capacity as a manager to try it. I think that it might open their eyes and make them realize that despite your initially honorable ambitions, you might find yourself in a situation where you’re forced to adjust your behavior and goals in order to meet the demands the organization places on you. It’s either that, or you look for another job.

I think that it’s a bit misplaced to direct one’s discontentment against middle managers.

I think that a more appropriate target, is those who have the actual power to create a meaningful change of employee working conditions.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

I think that it’s a bit misplaced to direct one’s discontentment against middle managers.

I think that a more appropriate target, is those who have the actual power to create a meaningful change of employee working conditions.

Except the PP did not say this was a "middle manager" at all. She said "administrative role". Can guess, but may or may not be correct, as to what that is/was.

I have been a charge nurse, and nurse manager, and floor nurse, and.....other things. What I CAN say, emphatically, is that while the grass is always greener on the other side (without a doubt!) when someone has taken a less-than-caring attitude toward actual problems those in 'subordinate' positions face, it shouldn't be a surprise when that comes back to bite in the end.

As a nurse manager, I had to do juggling that my staff did not always understand, nor appreciate. But I CAN absolutely assure you that if I was ignoring or belittling a problem that they brought to me, I couldn't deny them a smirk if *I* was faced with the very same thing upon dong a floor job!

Only seems fair, to me.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I went back and forth between administration/management and the floor during my career, and in my own defense I must say I never forgot how it was to be a floor nurse. But I had trouble leaving off the management hat when I went back to the floor, and indeed had to censor myself a lot. It was hard to pretend I didn't know better ways to run things!

Middle management is tough. You basically catch crap all day, from those above you on the food chain AND those below. So many competing priorities, so little time. You're also the one the surveyors want a piece of whenever they find something that doesn't add up.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I have a devilish streak and yes I would find some satisfaction. Karma is a vindictive mistress.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

The good administrator, who had been firm but fair? No, I would not enjoy watching her fail on the floor. I would feel empathy for her and do my best to help her adjust.

The one who had been clueless and indifferent and never supported her staff? Crash and burn, baby.

[duskyjewel]

Am not sure why you would take joy out of this situation?

I'm not taking "joy" out of it. Joy is a big, meaty level of enjoyment.

This is a little snicker behind a hand, followed by moving on.

I agree middle management must suck, because I imagine it must be a lot like the garbage compacter scene from Star Wars.