HELP should I step down???

[johnson0424]

I just took over a job as a nurse manager of a 49 bed unit at a nursing home. I have been a unit manager before and a ADON and DON so I have dealt with this but oh my GOD this unit is SOOOO disorganized. to add a wrench in the whole plan i am in NP school online so that takes up a good bit of time but I have to work full time. but anyways, my assistant (who was the manger before I came, she stepped down her choice when i came) i s hardly ever there so i feel like i dont have an assistant and the unit is SOOO busy and there are things such as monthly summaries that have not been done in years and they were supposed to being done..so that is something i have to start..the weights are all messed up (i have a significant wt loss or gain practically every week, which i know is not right), the nursing assistants who have been there since the doors opened will "buck"me any chance they get, i constantly have complaints, constantly have cases that need to be investigated like one went to the state this week and the unit is almost like a sub acute unit in a nursing home we have 21 people out of 45 with G tubes, foley's if that tells u anything. anyways, i have been thinking about stepping down to a floor nurse because of school and yesterday i swear my BP was up to 200 because my head was pounding and i felt like i was going to fall out. I really like being a manager but i dont know if this is too much right now or if i should just stick with it and know that it will get better as the time goes by. I am working like 12 hr days 6 days a week and still fitting school in. I sometimes would like a job i could work just 8 but most of the time being an ANAL nurse i am i just want to stay till the job is done. I have only been there 2 months and have seen some progress but I NEED HELP..give me some perspective...

[Q.]

I'd step down. No job is worth that much stress - or your license.

[xxxxxxx]

I am really feeling your frustration, concern and pressure to do things right, and I am also feeling your energy slip away trying to ride all these horses at once. I am imagining that all these events are enclosed inside a circle and that you are in the center of it all with everything pulling at you; it can be so difficult to know what to do. One thing I find that helps me and my head nurse tremendously is to imagine that you have stepped outside this circle and are looking in at the events as opposed to have them swirling about you. Being able to mentally distance oneself from multiple and competing priorities can give greater clarity to what needs to be focussed upon first, and what can wait awhile. Imagine that you are outside this circle and are watching another individual in the middle of it all; what would you say to this person to help her feel capable and not overwhelmed?...which horses does she need to ride first?... You will be surprised at how useful this approach can be for you.

Your experience tells me that you have all the capabilities you need to handle what is going on in your unit. I think that being involved in the NP program at this time is clearly in your favor; and I really do believe you will feel this also if you choose to approach the unit issues in the manner I have described. I don't think stepping down is what needs to be done at this point in time. If you follow the idea above, things will be clearer to you an you will know just what you need to do for the unit and what you need to do for yourself.

Hope this is helpful.