Advice for newer RN to LTC supervisor position

southernbeegirl, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2009

what is SDC? (it's probably so simple i'll smack myself for asking huh? lol)

i want to weigh in here as well. I was thrown into supervisor roles right out of school. I was one of those new nurses that thought i knew EVERYTHING so of course i would the supervisor. yeah, that worked really well.

being a good supervisor takes a long time in nursing and learning who YOU are as a nurse as well.

as the supervisor, i have to think on my feet FAST. we dont have code teams and docs we can call to the room in LTC so the supervisor has to make the decisions for the patients. then you have the staff...a whole nother matter.

After almost 15 yrs in nursing, i am just now settling into a supervisor's role i can be comfortable in. im confident in my decisions concerning patients and staff nowbut it took me years to get there. no way i was making the right decisions when i was a new nurse..i had no idea what i was doing! and if you are honest with yourself...you dont either. as the RN, you are ultimately responsible for everything that happens when you are at work. are you confident enough in your assessment skills, confident enough in your ability to manage people that you would take a management position?

as a manager you are the support person for every patient, every famly member and every employee. i often feel like a mother trying to seperate two fighting kids with staff members.

when i was first out of school i was a horrible, HORRIBLE supervisor. i would be as bold to say that all of us that went into management straight out of school sucked as a manager, lol. you have no experience to give you reference points to know how to deal with staffing issues. my attitude was "it's my way or the highway cuz i'm THE RN and i know it all". yeah that worked real well for me. NOT. they almost ran me out of that building on a rail!

the staff you supervise expects you to know what you are doing. they wont cut you ANY slack for being a new nurse.

none of us are saying that you cant do the job but can you do it WELL? being new out of school is the time you should be learning to be a "nurse". why put yourself in a position that you will most definitely fail? we are just trying to share our collective years of experience with you to help you make an informed decision that will benefit you.

c_beshore_rn · Jun 10, 2009

Although I can see where some of these seasoned nurses are coming from......I disagree. I've been a nurse at LTC. U need good assessment skills and experience- there is no better place to get it! When I got out of nursing school I did hospital m/s nursing and hated it and went into ltc. I supervised as a newbie and learned so much!! As long as you have a great nurse to show u the ropes,and not one that resents the fact that you are doing what it took them 30 years to do, you'll be fine! You'll learn better assessment, management, leadership, and medicine. In my experience a LTC is a fastpaced n laid-back environment to learn in. If their is an emergency u call 911 n get em to the ER. You will learn to work with others (patients, family, people that hate you, and people that love you)

I work in a hopital now and supervise the house there at times. I believe I learned most of my leadership skills doing what you are about to do!! Good luck- GO FOR IT! and don't let anyone make you feel like you shouldn't because your a "new grad"!! RN school prepares us to be leaders and go for the gusto----afterall u made it through nursing school right??

c_beshore_rn · Jun 10, 2009

gaining confidence is half the battle----but overconfidence will kill ya

Moogie · Jun 10, 2009

For those of you who are older and have more nursing experience, you don't understand the hurdles we new grads face. The job market is so tough right now. It's hard to get any nurse manager or DON to look our way b/c we don't have any experience.

Some of us who are older and have more nursing experience know quite well what you're experiencing. There was a similar glut of nursing graduates in 1983, the year I finished my BSN. Those of us who were RN to BSN in the class already had jobs, but quite a few of our generic students had to take non-nursing jobs in order to pay the bills. One of my classmates took a job in a weight control clinic (like Jenny Craig) because that was the only nursing job she could find. I think things changed in a year or two but for a while, it was nearly impossible for new grads to find anything. (I think this pattern was repeated in the 1990s as well.)

When I was a new grad, I got into a position in which I was way over my head. I wasn't sure what specialty I wanted and I ended up on the float staff in a hospital that had over 500 beds. At the time, I thought I could handle it. But while I was able to do the work that was required of me, I was not able to focus on the task of learning to be a nurse because I had no continuity in my assignments. Unfortunately, that early negative experience left me feeling insecure in my ability to be a good nurse, and I've carried that insecurity along with me in other jobs that I've had. In previous positions in which I felt overwhelmed, the same old negative tapes of my earlier experience play in my head and I get worried that I'm really not "good enough". With age and experience, I am more confident, but there are still moments when that frustrated, overwhelmed, 20-year-old new grad on the float staff is still with me.

You don't learn to be a nurse in school. You learn to be a nurse in every job, in every specialty area, in every new opportunity. I graduated with my ADN almost thirty years ago and have over fifteen years of nursing experience plus education beyond the BSN level. (I took a hiatus to raise my family.) I'm STILL learning how to be a nurse. I figure that the day I've decided I know everything will be the day I get out of nursing for good. (Yikes, does that mean I'll be in nursing for the rest of my life?)

Just some food for thought here. While I empathize with the OP that it is brutally difficult for new grads to get jobs, it is also tough for those of us with experience to find jobs. Some of us experienced nurses are passed by because we're more expensive to pay than new grads. I've been out of acute care for some time and have been told I don't have enough RECENT experience for certain jobs. And then I'm told that I'm overqualified for other positions. I've been told I'm both overqualified and underqualified for staff development coordinator positions in different LTC facilities (and I taught nursing for a couple of years!)

I hope the OP thinks carefully before accepting this position. Yes, success is possible, but know exactly what you're getting into before you jump. Look at the job description. Personally, I would be very cautious about a facility that would hire a new grad to be SDC---what does that say about the ability of this facility to recruit or retain experienced nurses who could fill such a position? Ask if you will be expected to carry out duties that are delegated by the DON or fill in for the MDS coordinator, the resident care coordinators or other supervisors. If you're going to be called upon to be a Jill of all trades, your chances of success are diminished. Find out how many SDC coordinators have been in that position and why they left. Have they been thrown under a bus because the facility was unclear in its expectations and accused the SDCs of "not doing their job"? If you find that they've been terminated or have left after a short period of time, you may want to run, not walk, away from that facility.

It's better to sit out and wait for a nursing job than to take one in which you are setting yourself up for failure that may leave you questioning your ability to be a good nurse.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jun 10, 2009

SDC= Staff Development Coordinator

NotFlo · Jun 11, 2009

Wow. I wish you all the best and hope this position works out for you. I'm sorry if I sound negative but I'm just concerned. It's hard for me to visualize a new nurse being RN supervisor or staff development coordinator.

I guess there's less opportunity for you to lose your license as SDC than there is as supervisor, anyway.

Just imagine being RN supervisor...HUGE decisions are on your shoulders. Someone falls, you are the person determining if they have a possible fracture or head injury. The signs and symptoms can be so subtle, esp. if you haven't seen many of these injuries with your own eyes.

ANY possible situation at night...from the patient with chest pain to malfunctioning equipment to scheduling nightmares to staff arguing and everything in between, would be your responsibility, and you'll be expected to know how to handle any situation that may come up.

Somehow I don't think a facility that would hire a new grad as weekend supervisor and possibly the only RN in the house is going to spend copious amounts of time on training.

Anyhow, best of luck with the SDC thing. At least it's weekdays and you'll have more support available.

AddieRN · Jun 11, 2009

Even with all the negative response, I have decided to take the position anyway. Am I over-confident? No way! But I do feel better knowing that I have support there when I need it. As far as training others is concerned....I believe infection control, etc. was drilled in our heads during nursing school, right? I am a good hearted person, and God knows what He's doing. I'm not one of those people who are like, look at me I'm the RN. I did not go to school for the title, I went to school to help others. I treat others the way I would like to be treated, and that's with respect. I have the common sense and knowledge to do good in any position. I'm also a critical thinker. There is no doubt in my mind that I can do this. Thanks to all the people who gave me positive responses. I really, really appreciate it. If you ever need advice from me (from those who gave positive responses) I would be more then glad to help you out in any way possible. God bless. Goodnight! :yeah:

AddieRN · Jun 11, 2009

That's all I have to say. I do not wish to have anymore responses to my thread, as I will not read them. Thanks.

southernbeegirl, BSN, RN · Jun 11, 2009

wow. be careful when you fall off that high horse!

i dont understand people that come to a message board asking for advice and then get ***** when they get it.

ya might wanna think WHY you got what you call "negative" responses there missy. we were offering our advice that YOU asked for.

hope you know how to swim so ya don't drown...

achot chavi · Jun 12, 2009

That's all I have to say. I do not wish to have anymore responses to my thread, as I will not read them. Thanks.

As tempted as I am to respond in kind, I will only say, dont close doors, you made an emotional choice and I wish you well if not for yourself, but for your patients. I am glad that you are confident in your education, but that doesn;t end with your degree.

New nurses should walk around with their eyes and ears open and their mouths closed.

One day you will be repeating this to someone else.

AddieRN · Jun 17, 2009

Sorry you guys who took my message the wrong way. I really didn't mean to come across as rude. I apologize if you felt offended, and I hope you will forgive me. I guess some of the negative responses just made me feel a little on the defensive side, and a little upset. I'm just a nurse, trying to get my foot in the door, just like everyone else.

texasbsn · Jun 17, 2009

Hey Addie congrats on the job and good luck.I wish i had your confidance.i am new with less than year and the hosp whrere i work is psy and the RN are charge,whew! the great thing is there are other RNs around me and a grat supportive staff.I constantly am asking I guess what are silly questions like,can you give tylenol afetr other psy meds I fel the most lost with pt and what to say to them.But again I have a great supprt staff.I know you will do well. . :yeah:

:yeah: