Leaving Management Role

I have been in management for a little over a year and am finding the posts in this thread very helpful. I have to admit, I am beginning to wonder what I have gotten myself in to?! I love this role - but the divisiveness between staff and administration and all of the gossip that goes with it is becoming exhausting! It doesn't matter that I just worked two twelve hour shifts over the weekend to make up for sick calls (3 RN sick calls on ONE shift alone), it doesn't matter that I hear from the staff how tired I seem to look, it doesn't seem to matter that they see me here long hours every day - during the week and sometimes on weekends. It doesn't matter that I haven't called in sick once since I have had this position. I could go on and on. What does seem to matter is that is if anyone has a bad day (which means busy day with patients and staffing), it is managements fault.

Even though I have my doubts ... I have to say, that I have never found another position so challenging, rewarding and motivating. It has been one of the reasons that I have gone back to school to get my MSN. Even though sometimes I want to run out of the place and never come back - it hasn't "licked" me yet and I hope that I can turn this challenge around. I am hoping that I am going to gleen information from some of the posts here that will help me to improve things on my unit. One of the most amazing things I am finding is the amount of gossip and "meanness" that I hear about. I guess as staff nurse, I would come in, do my job, go home and didn't "notice" it as much. It just amazes me in the things that I hear about different situations that seem to get more embelished as they go round the rumor mill.

I think overall, my unit does have a good group of people - so my goal is to try to build up the positives and try to work on the negatives.

Are there any of you who manage a group of people where there is mutual respect between staff and management? Where management and staff sees each other in roles that are different, yet vital to the work of the unit? Is there anyone that has done something that they found was successful to bring this change about? I would love to hear about it!

I was a unit manager of a medicare unit in a LTC facility for 4 years. I was responsible for over 35 nurses and CNAs. I was literally on call 24/7. When my phone rang, if I didn't answer for whatever reason, I had to explain to the DON why. I couldn't take vacations or time off unless I made arrangements to cover my unit --myself. I was responsible to cover ALL call ins on my unit, nurses and CNAs. The endless meetings! The unnecessary phone calls in the middle of the night from my nurses who seem to have forgotton they went to nursing school just as I did, the politics involved-fair and unfair, dealing with state surveyors asking you to do unrealistic things and perform miracles, dealing with families and their guilt-ridden complaints. I HAD to step down to save my sanity and to save my love of nursing. But to have to think about the job 24/7 was leading me to BURNOUT.

Patrick, First I want to thank you for your informative posts esp about hppd. It helped me tremendously. I left my managment role in November because I was totally exhausted and burned out. I know how you feel. It saddens me that this has to happen. Best of luck to you, dear. Enjoy your sleep and actual days off!!!

AMEN to that

Amen to that