Any nurse manager out there to answer these questions for me

Vito Andolini · Mar 17, 2009

[color=#333333] can any nurse manager/charge answer these questions for me! it's for my nursing management class thanks! i'm not presently a manager but used to be. i am charge every shift i work.
1.what is your role here at the facility?[color=#333333] my role is to take responsibility for the over all functioning of my unit during my shift. the buck stops with me. i make the assignment for and supervise other rn's, lpn's, and aides. i also ususally take a patient or 2 of my own. i do staffing for the next shift, solve problems involving personnel and patients/visitors, equipment, etc. i relieve nurses for breaks, determine when to call docs for various problems, serve as a knowledge resource for other staff. i try to do at least 1 task for each nurse, like a dressing change, order transcription, set of vs or accucheck, help bathe or toilet someone, something to help each one - maybe restock her med cart or treatment cart. i make sure no one is hiding out or taking excessive breaks. i counsel and discipline staff on my shift, after consultation with the unit manager. if it's a minor first offense, i go on and do it on the spot. i hold shift meetings to address specific issues, such as training for new equipment, various announcements from up above, let people know there will be a fire or other drill, stuff like that. i check the emergency cart q shift and do various other tasks assigned by the manager. i do evaluations for staff on my shift.
2.you are very effective in running the department that you lead. tell me how you proceeded when you began the job? i copied what i saw my preceptor do.
3.have you ever been a follower on a successful team? if so, describe the role you played on the team and in its success. yes, i was a team member (staff nurse) for many years. i gave direct care, bedside care - meds, charting, dressings, etc. success was no one falling, no one dying or filing a c/o.
4.if i were to ask your reporting staff or your peers to comment about your leadership style and your leadership strengths, how would they respond? my style is firmness, consistency, and fairness. i use clear directives, i use humor when possible, i take no guff because the staff have got to know that they are not going to go curl up in their car and sleep all shift, they are not going to neglect or abuse the patients, they are not going to compromise my license. they are told exactly what is expected of them. if they mess up, i let them know - privately, nicely. the next time it happens, if it does, i tell them again. the third time is a write-up. i've never had to recommend firing anyone but have often recommended re-education/inservicing. if someone is ill, has a child care problem, sick family, transportation woes, or whatever, i am happy to work with them. i cannot deal with deception, lies. i don't need or want to know all their business but i do expect maturity from them in stating that they have some problem and it is impinging on our staffing or on their work. once they ask for help, i try to help as best i can and still keep the place running smoothly. i have to not make them sorry they disclosed to me but i still have a job to get done. it's tough to balance their needs with the needs of the facility sometimes. but i do try.
5.what are the three most important values you demonstrate as a leader? tell me a story that demonstrates one of these leadership values in your practice. see above.
i think honesty is very important. so is caring about the patients in my care. so is keeping my license and my job. i had a nurse who was consistently late in arriving and she would proceed to dawdle before getting report. she had to get some coffee, pee, call to check on her kids before getting report. the offgoing nurse was consistently off 15 -25 minutes later than she would have if late had not been late. i let her know that this was simply not acceptable. i told her she needed to be ready to get report at 3 p.m. on the dot and not one second later. i showed her written proof (timeclock records) of her arrival times and told her the testimony from those who had to wait for her. i let her know that i expected her to come in early to do whatever she needed to do to be ready to work at 3 and let her know that any failures would result in written counseling and progressive discipline. she pulled it together for a while then started messing up again. the very first time she messed up, i did a written counseling. the next time, she got a written reprimand. these first 2 events took place in about a 2 week time period. next time, and it was about a week later, she was suspended for 3 unpaid days. she put in to transfer to a different floor. they wouldn't take her and she quit. i consider it a success story because she showed her true colors. she was not able to keep it together and i did not want to have to deal with her. she never shared that she had any issues that were keeping her from getting in to work on time, such as child care or transportation troubles. she just was not able to establish a habit of being on time. her tardiness was costing aggravation for the day nurses and unnecessary overtime for our unit. better she left.
6.during your work experiences while attending nursing school, did you know that you had leadership ability and skill? i don't think so. mostly, i was scared, i think. also, i thought adults in general and my teachers in particular were too uptight and i probably thought i knew everything.
7.what is your greatest hope for nursing?

we need to stand up to those who bully us and disrespect us. we need to get rid of mean instructors and inept managers.

hey, hope this helps and good luck.

FutureNurse123 · Mar 17, 2009

Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to do this for me