Clinical mgr vs ED Staff Nurse

[lionett123]

help!!!! Life decision time and I need some input. I have been a cardiac/tele nurse for 3 years. I have the opportunity to either take a position in my hospital's ED as a staff rn or be a clinical manager on an intermediate care/tele floor in a brand new hospital. My clinical managers are telling me to run for the hills from the clin mgr position bc it is so hard/demanding already let alone with a brand new hospital and brand new nurses (hospital doesn't open till this summer).

I have only been a nurse for 3 years so a part of me feels like where do I get off being a clin manager already? And, I was really excited about the ED job before the clin mgr position fell in my lap, I'm so confused, heeeelp! Anyone???

[kungpoopanda]

I sometimes find making a list of pros and cons can clear the way to a decision. Which is not to say they add up like a balance sheet. Sometimes, the decision with the least pros has been the right one for me.

go on, write down all the pro and cons and see where it leads you. Consider everything - money, work/life balance, career progression, study, hours, co-workers, managers, personality, even crazy things like uniforms (or not), car allowance, self esteem, location, commute, parking, etc. Give it a run and see where it takes you. Good luck.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Wow...what are you looking for? Management or patient care. They are so vastly different. Have you ever done management?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

In my experience, the process of opening a new facility is a great learning opportunity. Normally, managers are hired some months in advance of opening so they participate in design/development of the clinical infrastructure prior to hiring any staff. However (its a big one) it is not unusual for the entire management team to turn over within the first year as everything 'settles out' with the new executive team.

Even if you are ready and willing to take on a management role, jumping into MedSurg/Tele as your first leadership gig is a huge leap. From a management perspective, this is arguably the most challenging patient care unit in any hospital. High workloads, diverse staff, complex patients - large number of physician specialties to deal with. Will you have an experienced mentor to assist you? Will you have an assistant manager &/or dedicated Charge Nurses? If not, I would advise you to pass on this one until you have a bit more leadership experience.

[lionett123]

Thanks for the help, I am making my pros and cons list now. Clinical mgr pos is still considered a bedside nurse. We'll see, hopefully I will make the right decision.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

And also look at your responsibilities outside of work. If you have family responsibility then how would that work if as a manager you needed to stay past a shift to take care of duties?

If the clinical manager postition is still bedside, look at the job description and see if it is feasible to do it all. It may be difficult to do everything, and have a life outside of the facility too.

Best of luck to you!!