Homework help: Interviewing a nurse leader

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Hi everyone, I need some assistance. I am currently working to obtain my BSN, while working FT nights. I have a paper I need to write, its an interview of a nurse manager or nurse leader discussing budgets. All of the nurse leaders I know at my facility have indicated that they are too busy. Which I understand. Anyways I am posting in hopes any nurse leader colleagues wouldn't mind chimming in. Thank you in advance! Here are the following questions to be discussed:

1. What type of business training or education did you have prior to becoming the manager/director/CNO?

2. Describe some challenges you have managing the financial aspects of the unit/facility?

3. Which impact (pro or con) has the Affordable Health Care Act had on your unit/facility? How has health-care reimbursement affected your unit/facility?

4. What type of budgeting method is used at this facility? Zero-based budgeting? Flat percentage increase or incremental? Flexible? Performance budgeting?

5. Can you describe your budget timetable?

6. Are you directly involved with personal, operating, and capital budgets?

7. What is the level of involvement do the nurses have in terms of budget preparation?

8. How have national safety guidelines implemented on your unit/in your department affected the budget?

9. Do you use a budget manual? If yes, how is it helpful?

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It would be interesting to ask (your instructor's) permission to interview more than one leader if necessary in order to complete the assignment. It would mean that you'd have to find even more people, yes, but OTOH they might be willing to answer one or two questions (some of which are fairly involved if you include the idea of explaining them to the student) even if they don't believe they have the time to be interviewed for 30 minutes or more.

I expect some nurses will feel that it's unacceptable for leaders to "not have time" to help students learn. But reality is that this is a problem. Many of our workspaces run very lean and as great as that is for business there is a truly and actually a limit to what people can do with the time in a day--that part is something that few want to acknowledge.

This isn't about you or your request, melrose21, just more of a musing about the state of things. I do hope you're able to get this assignment completed without too much difficulty.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

JKL - rightly honest.

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