Any rn supervisors out there

Weeping Willow · Jan 3, 2008

I do not like supervising others because you often get "lip" from them. I try so hard not to ever have to ask anyone for help or tell anyone what to do and much prefer to do everything myself. Doesn't mean I never ask for help and I certainly always help others if asked. I even volunteer if I think they are floundering. I just hate "lip", lies (as to where they were or how hard they were working when I know they were on break or on the phone or otherwise goofing off). I hate it when UAP's try to tell me how things should be run or refuse to do as a nurse asks of them and then Managers don't back up the nurses.

Snugglibumkins · Jan 3, 2008

In my oppinion, if this is a job you have the leadership skills for, go for it. I do agree that there is at times some communication issues between supervisors and floor nurses. However, as you already have floor nurse experience behind you, I think you will be fine. I think it's a great step into a leadership position. Let us know if you decide to take the job.

TX RN · Jan 3, 2008

Hmmm, I've got mixed feelings on this one. I was a full-time supervisor at a facility for almost 3 years. I enjoyed the challenges but it's a position that comes with plenty responsibility.

If you feel that you are ready for the challenge, I say go for it. Much of your success also depends on the facility. Does it offer a thorough orientation? What is the size of the facility? What resources are available to you and do they offer a learning curve?

A supervisor needs confidence, and that is built only with experience and support. The less experience you have the more support you will need. Make sure it is there to make this a positive and successful endeavor. Best of luck.

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2008

i was a nursing supervisor for years in ltc. one thing to remember here is the hospital and ltc are two very different monsters. it will be a learning experience for you and don't be afraid to call on your fellow nurses for assistance. good luck

i was offered a position as a rn supervisor. what has your experience been in this role? do you like it? what does your job include. i come from a hospital setting having 2 yrs medical cardiolgy experience. thanks for any info you can give.

rnj1980 · Jan 3, 2008

thank for the info. i probably will not take the job. i dont think im quite ready for it. the don who "interviewed" me basically said we are firing the rn supervisor because all she does is sleep and now everyone else thinks they can sleep. and she will be the one training you and oh yea she doesnt know she is going to be fired yet. i was speechless. all she asked is whether i have any ltc experience. which i told her no. she said then when can you start. This rings red flag more me. I am very leery of jobs that are handed out like that. it seemed like i would basically have to fix everything this other rn supervisor did. the other thing is the health insurance they offer is too expensive for my taste. i need good affordable health insurance because of my 5 yr needing to see a cardiologist as well. the insurance i have now is awesome.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 7, 2008

Hi, rnj1980, and welcome to allnurses!

I think this is a good opportunity for you to learn leadership skills. I was an RN supervisor in LTC for a number of years and started out in the job coming from the acute hospital having been a supervisor in the acute hospital. Basically, I was responsible for making the CNA assignments for our shift at the beginning of the shift. Sometimes if we were short a charge nurse I had to fill in and take an assignment as a charge nurse. During the shift I lent a hand and helped the nurses and aides where I could, especially when there were little crises that came up. If a patient had to be transferred out to the hospital I helped with the paperwork. I was also heavily involved with the paperwork involved in the monthly changeover of the medication and treatment sheets and the reconciliation of the doctor's orders in the charts. I made rounds of the facility. I was making sure that things were being kept clean (refrigerators, cupboards, shower rooms, etc.). At night, making sure the workers were not sleeping was kind of a universal problem (even in the acute hospital). I saw some pretty sneaky behavior where sleeping was involved. It has to be confronted and resolved.

Discipline is part of a supervision job. As a supervisor you have to know the facility rules and regulations as well as the discipline policy. You use them as the shield you stand behind. You can still be a nice person and enforce the rules and be known as a fair and nice supervisor. This is what passing the buck is all about. You would discuss with the DON (director of nursing) how she wants the rules enforced so you know her feeling on this and how strict he/she is about enforcing the rules. As a supervisor, you represent the DON and the administrator(s) when he/she is not in the building, so you need to know their views and carry them out. The DON may have you give yearly evaluations to employees as well on the off shifts since you are the one who is there and he/she is not. In some cases I was writing yearly evaluations which were then reviewed and approved by the DON before I gave them to employees.

In my jobs as a supervisor I learned about discipline, particularly in LTC. Some of the CNAs act like little children and must be treated the same way. It was a great education! I thought Weeping Willows comment about getting "lip" from those you supervise was interesting. This is similar to insubordination and you learn to deal with it or you forever become spineless and fear anybody that challenges you. You earn respect by applying rules and regulations fairly and not loosing your temper. RNs are leaders--keep that in mind. Today's hospital RNs are spared the anxiety of having to be the old battleaxe leaders and supervisors they used to need to be. In LTC, however, you have to, and are expected to, be that kind of strong leader. Many of them are LPNs who have stepped up into these positions and do a fine job of it. I used two books to help me learn to deal with the problems of insubordinate workers:

Managing Difficult People: A Survival Guide for Handling Any Employee by Marilyn Pincus
Working With Difficult People by Muriel Solomon
I also had to read Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis by Eric Berne, M.D. in my BSN program which is a wonderful work about recognizing manipulative behavior that we all engage in

I also used my computer (Word program) as my word processor. I had a template for a memo on it that I used to write people up when the situation called for it. The DON can't do any kind of effective discipline (or firing) of problem employees without proper written documentation. Most of the staff charge nurses won't take the time to do it. That is where the supervision staff must help out. As a supervisor in the acute hospital and LTC I never did as much writing and documentation as I did as a staff nurse. We documented all kinds of things that went on and it wasn't all about bad employee acts. Records of unusual things that occurred had to be documented and kept somewhere. And, I'm not talking about documenting in the patient charts.

I would encourage you to re-think your decision to take this job. It would be a marvelous experience to see a whole different part of nursing that you were kind of exposed to briefly in nursing school but never really had a chance to develop as a staff nurse. As a supervisor you have a great deal of autonomy on the job to affect the work of the nurses around you. It is a step up the career ladder. If you keep an open mind, keep your communication line with the DON open, and are willing to learn as you go, there is no reason why you shouldn't do well in this position. LTC is a wonderful place for opportunities and one has just been laid before you. It is unlikely that you would get this kind of opportunity in the acute hospital. Don't pass it up.

chiya · Mar 24, 2008

the don who "interviewed" me basically said we are firing the rn supervisor because all she does is sleep and now everyone else thinks they can sleep. and she will be the one training you and oh yea she doesnt know she is going to be fired yet. i was speechless. all she asked is whether i have any ltc experience. which i told her no. she said then when can you start. This rings red flag more me.
Run! do not walk away from this one, If She is telling an interviewee this kind of thing what is she going to be saying about you? And years ago went through a very similar experience and it made for a very uncomfortable adjustment period. They hired me for a position and neglected to tell the nurse already in that position that they were being moved to a different position. He found out when the new schedule was posted, And it made for a lot of hard feelings.

MaryAnn_RN · Mar 25, 2008

Games People Play is well worth reading.