How can an rn with no nursing experience be a supervisor

[mozella]

First let me say that I don't dislike this person. I think she is very nice and will be a great nurse. The problem I have is with the situation. I work in a LTCF and am somewhat new at nursing (14 months). My facility hired an RN supervisor that is just out of nursing school to be the supervisor on my unit. She has no experience except for clinicals while in school. So I am basically training this person. Every order she writes I have to fix in the chart and in the Mar/Tar. She is not comfortable with speaking with the doctors, families, or pharmacy. Basically she is not comfortable/capable of doing anything on her own. I am an LPN so she is making more money than me but I am doing double work. I think of a supervisor as someone who makes sure things are done and done right. someone that can advise me if I am unsure of something. This person can not do this. shouldn't a supervisor have to have some job experience? Like I said, she is a very nice person, and eager to learn. She will be a good nurse someday. But wouldn't It have be wiser to put her on the floor first. How can I respect this person as my supervisor when she doesn't know how to her own job.

[NPinWCH]

The new RN's student loans are possibly becoming due for repayment. She most likely has other bills that cannot wait until the perfect job comes along. Finding a job as a new grad RN is like finding a needle in a haystack in many parts of the U.S. In my humble opinion, she is doing what she must until some other opportunity comes along.

All of what you say makes sense, but if something were to happen, as others have pointed out, she is the one who is going to take the fall. How is she going to defend herself? By saying, "Well they hired me!" It won't work, since a prudent nurse should know when she's in over her head.

And what good is taking this job to pay those bills if she ends up with a lawsuit or even losing her license? I'm not saying it will happen but it could, and it doesn't sound like management is very supportive of her. Did she even get to spend a month, week or even day with another RN to learn the job? Proper orientation is important and it's not sounding like she's getting it.

[mozella]

I know you feel it's not fair that this inexperienced person is earning more than you while you perform most of the workload, but this is the way things roll in LTC facilities. You do not need to personally like or respect the RN supervisor who doesn't know how to properly supervise, but you must be able to shove your resentment aside in order to get along with her.

As I said I don't dislike this person. Nor do I resent her. I'm sure she was really happy and proud to obtain a supervisory position as her first job. Anyone would. And I get along with her very well. She is very nice and wants to learn all she can. My point was that I feel A supervisor should be able to advise me when I am unsure of what to do. She should be able to Give care, Talk with doctors and families when I don't know what to do. She should have knowledge of drugs and their reactions to other drugs and so on. So who do I turn to when I need advised on any given situation or medical emergency?

[mentalhealthRN]

new nurse or not sounds I can't believe she is not comfortable with some of the basics--ummmm......calling the doctor? Talking to families?? LOL really? And taking off orders is not rocket science as long as she knows things that are specific to your facility--like how many checks you require, WHERE the book is that labs get written in, or if you have a binder with everyones orders or you keep them in the charts and flag--those kind of logistical things of where things are written or kept. That I can understand as even an experienced nurse would need to be told those basics being a bit different in every facility. Talking to families......that is a skill she should have experienced or not. As far as hands on skills with the residents, well that is a different story and is a bit scary. I would not want to be in her shoes and I feel for your side as well. I think its a bad situation for everyone. But like someone else said, for most RNs LTC is not their first choice, or even there second. It is hard to get RNs to LTC. I have worked in one twice and it was aweful both times. The staff at the facility was unprofessional. The state was in there like every other week. I had CNA staff that basically did what they felt like doing--yeah I had a few really good CNAs but most were lazy and rude. And the numbers were mind boggling--20 patients or 40 if a nurse called in??? To me that is insane! So I get why RNs don't want to go to LTC. So yeah bad situation for all. But as for some of the things you mentioned sounds like her personality is not confident or outgoing enough for the job, even if she did have experience at the bedside. The only thing I can advise is maybe try to make each thing you do with her a LEARNING opportunity. Make it clear that you will teach her how to do something once or twice so she can do it herself. Don't just do it for her. The old "Give the man a fish fry and he eats a meal, teach him how to fish and he eats for life". Be clear with this and tell her so she knows she is gonna have to step up. Good luck to you all.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

So who do I turn to when I need advised on any given situation or medical emergency?

I worked as an LPN/LVN in nursing homes for more than four years with a variety of RN supervisors who were inexperienced, incompetent, lazy, or simply didn't want to be bothered with clinical decisions. If an emergency arose where one of the residents was crashing, I almost always called EMS and had them transported to the acute care hospital. Call your DON/DNS or ADON at home if you need advice on sticky situations. Consult with one of your experienced coworkers. I totally agree that the ideal RN supervisor would have solid clinical experience, great judgment, and the ability to be a leader and resource person.

However, you and the nursing home management very well know that a warm body is being used to fill a staffing need and to fulfill a legal requirement for RN coverage.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

It's really possible that she has absolutely no idea what the job really entails. She is probably very upset and unhappy and scared to death, or will be soon - she probably had no other interviews. If she hasn't ever thought what exactly her license means, she will believe that her employer is responsible for her ultimate actions or lack of action. I have some friends from school who never even thought of this fact. One or got hospital jobs due to family/city connections, and have now had there OMG situations where it hit home that it is all on them, really it is.

This kind of situation often happens in home health and hospice.... CHECK OUT YOUR SUPERVISORS WITH YOUR BON/STATE BEFORE YOU ACCEPT THE JOB. It's easy to find how long they've been in pracitce. You will be amazed what you find at some of these companies with flashy websites!

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Them's the shakes when you have a higher degree.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

i've been reading some very unsettling posts today:confused:. did you take my post in the literal sense?

yes, my apologies if you were being sarcastic. it is hard to tell on this forum without the smilies.

[Katie5]

yes, my apologies if you were being sarcastic. it is hard to tell on this forum without the smilies.

:smackingf

[merlee]

Some things haven't changed in 30 years - - a warm body with the RN behind her name will suffice in many circumstances.

Sad, but true.

[Orange Tree]

I wouldn't want to have her job, but I would love to train my boss. And like another post mentioned, the higher pay goes along with the education, not the amount of "brick-laying" that's done by each individual.

This girl will sink or swim, and she might turn out to be a great friend (personal or professional) if you help her do the latter. Good luck to both of you!

[mozella]

Every thing you said in your post is 100% true. You are really good at looking at the bright side of things.:) I still worry for my residents (and myself) because I don't have that much experience as a nurse yet,(14 months) so sometimes I need someone with more knowledge to advise me on what to do. And what if I am doing something wrong but I don't know that its wrong, Then I"m teaching her the wrong way.And what if she tells me to do something that is wrong but she doesn't know its wrong, and I don't know its wrong or I have to do it because she is my supervisor this is really kinda scary. (don't put your parents here) Just kidding........... I don't want her to quit or get fired,(she is very nice) I think I just wish she knew what she was doing because I feel responsible for these people and I don't want any harm to come to them.

[General E. Speaking, RN, RN]

Although I am not in a supervisory role, this is one of the reasons I went back to school- opportunity. I was an experienced LVN working in a busy acute care hospital setting. We had many new RN grads come through and I trained a lot of them. I enjoy precepting for the most part but occasionally it was irritating to keep giving advice to someone that I knew was making twice a much as me. Or to get the complicated high acuity patients because I could "handle" them.

I feel your pain, OP. I am sure she is a very nice person and it sounds like you are treating her with respect. It isn't fair but she is there because of the "RN" behind her name. I never held my fellow nurses education against them. I just decided that I wanted to further my education and get PAID for all the hard work I was doing.

Just wondering if you have considered going back to school?