ER manager and I dont click

[LLM114]

Id like some suggestions on how to approach my manager. I've been a nurse for 23 years and have worked as an ED director/trauma manager for 7 of those years::::..I have been a manager in three different hospitals and managed in other areas of nursing. My manager currently has been a nurse for 15 years and has only worked in this critical care access hospital (25 beds with 10 bed ER). She is not open to any suggestions no matter who brings them up and has her favorites. She resigned in December and had shorttimers.....however since they couldn't find replacment she has decided to stay on. She does things like puts fulltime day nurses on nights and gives the day shifts to the prn staff because the prn staff "won't work nights." Any suggestions that could improve processes are shot down with a " we don't do it that way here." I have asked repeatedly to not work 6-7 nights in a row but the nurse that works opposite of me wants to.....she's young (25). I don't feel like my care is as good on night 5,6,7....I have told her that yet I find myself scheduled for long stretches. She won't acknowledge emails from certain people, any suggestions sent to her are ignored.......again she won't even respond to your email. Any emails that I have sent to her aren't even acknowledged whether they be for time off, education requests, questions about a new process that she implemented that isn't working well or could be better, etc. I hesitate to try talking to her because she usually won't let me finish my sentences....or says "mind you own business" or says " we don't do it that way here." I talked to HR after being treated this way for over a year and a half......the HR DIRECTOR and her are buddies and I could see it would go nowhere. Do I leave it alone? Look for job elsewhere? She is totally unapproachable. When I was a new manager, I welcomed suggestions from others that worked elsewhere and/or had more experience. I seriously am unsure if I can stay on in this environment. She is hateful to staff......flippant in responses and just plain rude. Thoughts? I would never dream of treating my staff this way.....unfortunately there is not a hospital within an hour and a half to work..........

[BelgianRN]

Well guess a lot depends on if you are alone or in a minority group that sees this manager as a problem. If you are in the minority or alone in this I don't think there is a lot you can do. If the majority of the department doesn't feel she is doing an adequate job you can make a joint statement.

We had a problematic manager for years in my department and things changed when we put in a collective complaint to his manager. He was placed in another position within weeks.

Then we got a new manager who thought he was a little napoleon and he chewed out nurses quite often. He was on very good terms with his direct manager and she didn't act when we complained. So as a unit we went even above her head and complained directly to the nursing director of our hospital and he took up action and replaced this manager.

As to working long series. I guess it depends on what it says in your contract or in the guidelines from your facility. If she operates within these it sucks but you have no grounds for official complaints. As a full timer in my hospital we either work 8 nights in a row or 10 days/evenings in a row. For part timers (80 - 75%) it is 6 nights or 7 days. There are many (mostly older, *don't hit me; what is old anyway...*) nurses that dread nights and our planner knows this and will mostly divide the night shifts over the younger ones that like nights. But once in a while they'll get a long series. They'll complain etc. but in the end that's what they signed up for. And they'll work those nights if nobody switches shifts with them. I know some nurses that really don't want to work 6 - 7 nights in a row that have teamed up with another part time nurse. They'll do two series of 3 - 4 nights each month instead of a long one. But if our planner for some reason would refuse to mind their preferences it would suck but they'd have to simply comply with it.

Of course if you and the manager don't click she's probably picked up on that too. And if she is spiteful she could just give you long series of nights to p*ss you off, or to show you that she gets the final say.

If it is anyway possible send emails that give you an opened/read notification so you can log for yourself that the emails were indeed opened. Another possibility is to CC it to HR and BCC it to yourself (BCC addresses are invisible to the receiver). And important things I would either give to her and ask her to date and sign it as read. Very important things I would send by classic mail (I don't know the term you use over there but the mail system where one needs to sign upon receiving the mail).

I guess in regards to your question on staying or going is: "how much more can you take?". If in any way possible try not to compare the way she does things to how you did/would do things it only sets you up for disappointment. Is there not another possibility in your hospital to take care of critical patients not under her management?

Good luck with the situation and I hope a solution will present itself.

And keep in mind succinylcholine leaves no trace other than high potassium ^^.

[LLM114]

Many of the staff are affected by her. But because most live there and there is NO other hospital to work they put up with it. I do the email thing already. When I signed on it was for a set schedule. W,th,f,s one week then th, f, s the next week. Did it for year and a half then a new nurse comes on with three total years experience and my schedule is upside down to accommodate her wants......with no notice to me or thought to my wants/needs/wishes....no questions even asked of me. JUST DONE. I feel its a total lack of respect on her part. Being a "old" manager and even older nurse, I would NEVER treat my staff the way she does. Yelling at them to shut up, sternly admonishing themin public not to push the auto door panel more than once when it doesn't open the first time. I'm sick of her attitude thinking she can talk like that to staff. And do the things she has done to me. I'm leaving. Have four job offerings in bigger hospitals with more pay and professionalism. She can keep her small minded small town ways. It will get her in the end.......noone deserves to be treated the way she treats staff.

[BelgianRN]

Good that you can move on and go to a place with a better atmosphere. I wish you all the luck out there!