Admin nurse returns to bedside and.....

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2014

Turnabout is fair play. Mind you, it goes in both directions. Enjoy it today because yesterday might be your tomorrow. That being said and having witnessed a manager literally crying for twelve hours in a floor nurse role and threatening to quit, then return to calling nurses in the office the very next day about the same BS she was crying about, heck no to the sympathy!!!! I was dancing in the parking lot!!!!

TriciaJ, RN · Oct 11, 2014

HAHHAHAHA!! Why good MORNING! And WELCOME to work!!!!
Middle management is just not a great gig, in my opinion. Illusion of being in charge, however, it is upper management that has a final say.
I think that a "take your DON to work day" is in order. After a few code browns, call lights galore, and 6 or 7 patients that need to be medicated right this moment, I double dog dare any floor nurse to then exclaim "DON, your goal, as is ours, is to make sure that all of your patients are DELIGHTED!!"
Ahhhh, the karma bus makes a lot of stops...

I can't "like" this enough. :cheeky:

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2014

This is exactly why I will never ever be in management. You can't make anyone happy!!

I said that myself, now I am a supervisor... :blink:

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Oct 11, 2014

I am now a "middle" manager. It can be a thankless role some days. However....it depends on how you build relationships with staff and administration.
The staff know that I really appreciate their efforts. I listen to their ideas and concerns, and make a point of letting them know that they are valued. If the staff are content, my job is that much easier.
I'm organized, so I'm able to meet my deadlines as far as admin is concerned. My role is not without challenges, but if more managers realized that the relationship should be built around genuine respect instead of power and control, we'd have a productive workforce.

THIS. :yes:

joanna73, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2014

I said that myself, now I am a supervisor...

I've said it too, yet somehow I seem to gravitate toward these roles. I don't enjoy the politics, but I do enjoy teaching and mentoring which is the focus of my role.

I haven't been a nurse for that long, but I've been in various management roles for 20 years. Was I always so enlightened? No. However, I've realized that the key to business is the people you have. I can't please everyone. Sometimes my staff are not happy, but they know I'm fair.

Fair and I'm willing to toilet a resident or give them a hand when they need it. Little things can mean a lot to the staff. Managers should be willing to help out and remember how rough it is working on these floors.

allnurses Guide · Oct 11, 2014

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?

Nah. Admitting to a little very human schadenfreude doesn't make you evil. Evil is when your dark thoughts are so horrible you'd never dare make light of them on a message board.

Somehow I think yours won't take root and grow.

amoLucia · Oct 18, 2014

I think that a "take your DON to work day" is in order. After a few code browns, call lights galore, and 6 or 7 patients that need to be medicated right this moment, I double dog dare any floor nurse to then exclaim "DON, your goal, as is ours, is to make sure that all of your patients are DELIGHTED!!"
Ahhhh, the karma bus makes a lot of stops...

Maybe what this country needs is another holiday. Like Boxing Day in England when the top admin person exchanges places with a staff person for the day.

There was a M*A*S*H episode where Margaret swaps places with Kellye. the Hawaiian staff nurse. And Charles becomes the cook; Klinger and Col Potter swap too. Can't remember the rest ...