Leaving Management Role

good luck to you

I've read many of your posts and I can say that your institution is going to be hard-pressed to replace you as a manager - too bad you had the issues that you did - a lesser person would have thrown in the towel a long time ago

have some fun!!!

[quote=RNPATL] Nurses are under the mistaken impression that nurse managers make a lot of money and have cushy jobs. It is simply not the case. The sarcasim and dis-resepct that nurse managers face everyday makes it a job that is awful and increases turn-over. QUOTE]

So true....I wish I could understand why staff are so nasty to and about nurse managers. I have not seen one manager (myself included) that did not work extremely hard, with lots of overtime (unpaid) hours to make things as good as possible for their unit and their staff. There seems to be the perception that because managers are not taking a team of patients, they can't possibly be working as hard as the staff nurses. I've said it before...just because I'm not doing the same job as you doesn't mean I'm not working! I can completely understand why you're stepping out of it, sometimes you just get sick of the abuse.

Yes. .. the loss will be noticable, indeed. Yet you MUST have a life beyond work. I'm with you all the way.

I wish you all the success in the world, and know you will do just FINE.

Now BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEATHE.... and feel all that tension ease from your body !

Wooohooooooooooooooooooooo !!!

Hi Patrick,
I remember the days when there was a head nurse on each shift and a supervisor for the floor. Now 1 person is doing the work of three. I too was in management about four years ago. I had held the positon for about three years. One day I went for my annual physical and my doctor informed me that my blood pressure was elevated. By the end of the week I had handed in my resignation. My blood pressure returned to normal limits. So good luck.

There are different recipes for being a manager. You know you will be held extremely accountable and responsible for many facets of your units or departments you supervise, e.g. budget, payroll and non-payroll, performance appraisals, ordering supplies, meetings, competencies, mandatory training, tracking certifications, patient concerns and issues, nursing relationships, care delivery, customer satisfaction, surveys, quality improvement, reports, staff development, staff meetings, recruiting, interviewing, hiring, orienting and the list goes on. You must always find time for you. Remember that your own health and the heatlh of your personal and family relationships are proportional to the balance of your professional life and career. Your employer/boss must support you and give you the added help you need in your department to make it work. Delegating and dividing up assignments and following up timely on the competion of assignments by your assistants or staff is important. Keep your finger on the pulse of your department. Keep lists of your priorities, although I realize that the phone can ring and reset the entire plan. You will need to be ready and tolerant for changing course at a moments notice. Patience, trust and being a good listener are pieces of your management puzzle. Empower others to assume ownership, set goals, timeframes and lead. The frustrations seep in when you start feeling overwhelmed, unable to complete assignments, especially when something else gets loaded onto your agenda or calendar. Teamwork works! The team just needs to be willing to chip in when the heat is on and the work starts to pile. Those of you willing to stay in the mainstream of nursing administration are respectfully commended and those of you recognizing that you may be suited better for other positions, you are equally important to our health care arena. This is what makes it tick.

I was a nurse manager a few years ago. (Actually that's about the time I joined this BB.) I resigned from my position and took a few months of doing nothing. I wanted to decide what I really wanted and if I was just burned out from being in the same place for so long. The best decision I ever made was to go back to being a staff nurse in a different hospital. You are so right about having control of your life. I am no longer responsible for the actions of all the other nurses who work on my ward. I don't have to report to the administrator about why someone else did something that they weren't supposed to do. I am responsible for myself and when I go home at the end of the day I leave it at work until I get back.
Look forward to the relief and be happy!

It's a hard decision to leave a job, but I am sure you will succeed at whatever you decide to do.

I do have a comment though, reading through the postings. ( I am a lurker, not a poster typically). I recently re-entered nursing management after seeing a parade of temporary managers pass through our ED over the last 7 years.

Now, what I have found is that while most of the staff has been supportive and helpful. Some of them are constantly pushing the limits of what's acceptable and then daring me to do anything about it.

I took a slight pay-cut ( no shift diff/no overtime/) to take this job. I am at work 6 days a week ( from 3-12 hours shifts) now and was happy to do it. If I don't do well at this job, there is doubt that I will be able to return to the floor ( our admin frowns on this). So, this was a big risk for my career and lifestyle. I know that these are all typical complaints of nurse managers.

Nurses and managers need to be empathetic to one another. I am finding that management views the nurses as money-hungry, lazy and apathetic. While staff sees management as frivolous, incompetant and heartless. I am a little discouraged that there is so little understanding between the two factions.

How do you rise above this and not get caught-up in the "nurse hating" of management or allow yourself to be a victim of a group of nurses bent on breaking you down?

Thanks for letting me vent!

Sorry you have decided to step down from the unit managers position. I know the unit will miss you. I wish you luck in your new position and hope the teaching is something you can do soon.

I am a nurse in management. I am very intersted in all your posts. I must say that I too work more hours than I should and am payed less due to shift diff, OT etc. That said I think it is important that we find a way to be managers and still have a life. If we don't we will not continue to attract bright talented people into our ranks. Only an insane individual would be chomping at the bit to take some of the jobs you describe. The best nurse manager IMHO is the one who can be relaxed and happy and who's unit operates seamlessly whether she or he is physically there. Just my 2 cents.
EEYORE