Attempting to Transition to Mgt - Open to Advice

Published May 24, 2006

164 Posts

I'm not sure where to start this post - However, this situation has been weighing heavily on my mind and I thought I would present it to my collegues and peers.

To start - I'm looking at transitioning to a management position. Namely a director of nursing position on an orthopedics unit at a fairly large hospital. I come mainly from an ER / trauma background. Out of frustration of working the floors under some managers (not all though) that are out of touch with the front lines - I decided to go back for a MBA degree with the intent to become a manager with an understanding from both a nursing perspective and management perspective in hopes to merge the two disciplines to become a desirable manager someday.

I will try to give the short version of past experience here.....

I currently have my BSN and I'm currently enrolled in an MBA program and working as an ER nurse part-time. Most of my background is in ER / Trauma (6 years) with 2-3 years of case management and 2-3 years telemetry experience. - Most positions encompassing charge nurse responsibilities. Except for the position that I am currently in now at a small rural hospital for the past year or so (this is the first small hospital that I have ever worked at).

I will be graduating with an MBA in health care administration a year from now - however, this position became available in the interim of pursuing the MBA.

I guess the question to present to those with management experience is: When looking at hiring someone for a DON position - what exactly are you looking for in a candidate?

I feel as though I will be at a major disadvantage because I have never really been technically employed as a "manager" or "DON" before. However, I know that we all need to start somewhere.

Even with some business courses under the belt, it still seems a bit overwhelming. I know that there will be a lot of issues to deal with such as HR, budgeting, operational flows, conflict management et al. However, it is a challenge that I am willing to face and learn from.

I would appreciate any and all feedback - the good, the bad, the ugly.

Thank-you in advance for your responses.

Sincerely,

Ginger