Enough is Enough...

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

Ever since sometime in the mid ninety's I've been in leadership roles, from supervisor up through manager with as many as 50 something reports.

Last 5 years have been as Clinical Nurse Manager.

This involves scheduling, discipline, hiring, mentoring, practice improvement, customer recovery, patient deescalation, regulatory compliance, and even direct care shifts if I couldn't find the staff. Lately, they had added multiple paper audits that killed many trees.

Mix in 50 hour weeks, family needs, a very elderly (and needy) mom and her many pets needing my attention, along with an attempt to complete a PMHNP.

I'm an excellent leader, but the manager part was killing me. Being a clinical manager was great, but its good to recognize one's limits and needs. Currently working towards establishing a better work life balance. Too much stress, for too long: have stepped down, and taking a break from work.

If I don't take care of myself, no one else will.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Best of luck to you. I think for many people, a manager's tenure is short for that reason. It's definitely hard to find that balance, as well as retain one's sanity when you're pulled in so many directions.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

You are not alone. There are many who choose to either step down from a higher/senior level position to accept a lower level position or they choose to remove themselves from management all together. I know one manager who has retired and works part-time / per diem as a manager because the facility has promised not to give him any responsibilities that he views as a source of stress (for example, he has no direct reports). However the same manager of which I am speaking, has not kept a managerial role officially for the past 10 years because he did not like the work-life balance or the stress associated with being a nurse manager. So, good luck!

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

In early February I took a voluntary demotion from my position. I had a great job, but for the good of my agency I decided to take on a facility that had been a source of problems for years. Major mistake. I got constant pressure from above, and I was admonished for not fixing 15 years of dysfunction in one year. When I arrived, all four supervisory positions were vacant, plus 13 of 36 line positions. I had to train supervisors on the fly and do a bunch of hiring while keeping the place running on a daily basis. My reward was constant criticism. My boss now brags about the "great" job that my successor is doing, when he walked into a far better situation due to my efforts in the year preceding.

I am still in upper management, but in a far less stressful position.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

My reward was constant criticism. My boss now brags about the "great" job that my successor is doing, when he walked into a far better situation due to my efforts in the year preceding.

I am still in upper management, but in a far less stressful position.

..And you'll probably get blamed for all the uncompleted tasks left behind. :(

Glad that you are in a better environment now.

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Once you've had that first cardiac event, you wake up. In your case, it looks like you woke up one morning with that realization without needing the cardiac event to bring it to your attention. Good for you.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Once you've had that first cardiac event, you wake up. In your case, it looks like you woke up one morning with that realization without needing the cardiac event to bring it to your attention. Good for you.

Exactly what happened to my husband. He had been in a director-level position for a few years. One NSTEMI later, he's now "just" a hospice nurse, and couldn't be happier.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
..And you'll probably get blamed for all the uncompleted tasks left behind. :(

Glad that you are in a better environment now.

The odd thing is that I am in the position now that my successor was in before. The first thing that I noticed when I arrived was all of the things that were left undone - things that I had taken care of in the other spot (which has about twice as many employees). Personnel stuff was especially behind (evaluations, scheduling people for training, etc.). He was in this spot for almost two years, and none of his people were sent to initial training. I had all of mine caught up despite a bunch of new hires, plus catching up existing employees (my predecessor hadn't sent anyone to training in three years).

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
Once you've had that first cardiac event, you wake up. In your case, it looks like you woke up one morning with that realization without needing the cardiac event to bring it to your attention. Good for you.

Can you explain? What is it about the cardiac event that make sure it hard for the manager? More paperwork? More blame?

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I think they are referring to the OP not having a cardiac event before realizing less stress was needed. It took my husband having a heart attack (different profession, lots of stress) before he decided he needed to step back.

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