Calling All Nurse Managers/Clinical Directors

[RNPATL]

hi everyone.... this thread is dedicated as an introductory thread for all the nurse managers and clinical directors out there. no matter what area of nursing you are working in, we want to get to know you. please take a moment to post a message and tell us a little about yourself and your career as a nurse manager/clinical director or director of nursing. if you are a nurse that has an interest in management related issues ... feel free to tell us who you are.

nursing management can be and often is a very lonely position to hold. no matter how popular you are with the staff, you are still the manager (boss) and are subject to criticism. it can be and often is very disheartening as well as frustrating. not to mention the call, and the amount of hours we work. in an effort to get us off to a great start .... please tell us about a management experience that was your most challenging and one that was your most rewarding. please remember confidentiality - so keep your post pretty non-specific, if possible.

it is my hope that this forum can be a support system to nurse managers and clinical directors. please feel free to use it that way!

i am looking forward to meeting everyone (virtually) and having some really powerful, educational and wonderful discussions here. i will post my introduction after a while ... i am very interested in meeting you all first.

thank you - patrick (rnpatl).

[Cecilia Diaz]

I'm kind of in a similar position as you. I was an ICU nurse for many many years and then I was given the opportunity to be operation supervisor at my hospital. When we moved, I became operation supervisor at a different hospital. Since then I've been working as a legal nurse consultant, but went back into the field of nursing more to the bedside after a few years. I caught jobs here and there, but nothing that peaked my interest more than leadership. I got my bachelors degree and with an emphasis on management. I just took on a new position as resident care Director in a  very prestigious assisted living facility. I'm getting the feel for the situation that I'm in. I'm being treated like a queen but that's not my personality at all. I'm very down to earth. The work seems daunting to say the least, but my regional managers are super super supportive so far.  This is a very exciting role and I'm wondering, how many other nurses have been in this position to get this kind of leadership opportunity at the current time in nursing? It seems like nurses are fleeing since Covid. And any leadership position that comes up, most nurses want nothing to do with it.  Is this truly an opportunity for us to shine in leadership roles just because of this massive shortage? It makes me feel like I am a child in giant shoes, but at the same time, I can't help but see the opportunity in it all. I wanna encourage anyone with this type of ambition to go for it as well.  What do you guys all think?