I dream of nursing leadership...

[GVNurse09]

I am currently a nurse in a busy urban Emergency Department. I've worked in the ED for 4 years, and on the inpatient floor for 18 months. When I was inpatient I was a charge nurse for the 6 months prior to leaving for the ED. I loved being charge, I think I was good at it. My staff seemed to comment a lot that they were relieved when they came in and saw that I was charge that night. I transfered to the ED because that's always where I planned to spend my career. Now that I've spent time working in the ED, I feel like "I came, I saw, I'm not sure I can do this forever."

Last November, I was hurt on the job and had major knee surgery. I was off work for 9 months while recovering. I'm 28 years old and doubt that I can withstand a career at the bedside.

Additionally, I'm feeling restless. I'm ready for something new.

Since I started working, I've felt pulled to leadership. I've been thinking about going back to school and have considered informatics, education, but reading the curriculum for nursing leadership programs gets me excited. I know in my heart that it's what I want to do.

I've been highly involved while working at my current hospital. I've spent my entire 5 year career here and have been involved with shared decision making at the hospital, unit, and multi-unit level. I've chaired councils and picked up projects at the last minute to get the job done.

My current predicament is that I'm not sure where I go from here. I am a big picture thinker. I think I would enjoy case management or staff management. The problem is that every one of these jobs requires supervisory experience. I'm not sure employers consider my charge nurse experience to be supervisory, plus it was 4 years ago.

How can I market myself or get myself some supervisory experience? Being a charge in the ED is not an option right now as there are no openings and the charge nurses are often abused by my manager. It's not something I feel would be a positive career move. I don't feel like there is opportunity to "move up" in the ED other than being a charge nurse, so what types of opportunities should I be seeking out?

Any advice would help. I'm willing to go back to school, get more involved, transfer, do whatever it takes to get my into my dream job!

Thanks in adance :)

Jennifer, RN BSN

[jrt4]

Jennifer -

Unfortunately I do not see any short term opportunities for you if there are no supervisory openings in the ED you are currently working in. I would advise you to stay where you are and try to grow in place.

Typically to get a manager position you would need to be a supervisor in some capacity. The leadership structure at every organization is different. "charge nurse" can mean a multitude of things. We have shift coordinators that are "charge nurses"...their responsibilities are primarily at the bedside but they do take on more duties than a typical "charge nurse". Usually what people are looking for is someone who has been in a formal leadership role. Its often hard to get opportunities as assistant managers if you don't already work there as that is part of retention planning.

Steps to becoming a manager:

- Get your masters...this is essential for most management opportunities

- Grow in place...get certified in your specialty...become a committee chair...work on a project...present at a conference...anything that can help you learn the skills of being a leader.

-Volunteer for as many opportunities as you can within your hospital or unit...if a request for a superuser is sent out be the first to respond...just be sure to not overburden yourself...you want to do a lot but you want to be able to do it well.

-Ask someone in an official leadership position to be your mentor. This is flattering for a lot of leaders and they will be happy to let you shadow them...learn what they are doing or to just have conversations about your career.

-Join a professional organization. You would be amazed at how much nursing is about who you know. A professional organization is an excellent way to network and may give you the opportunity to take a leadership position (president, secretary, etc.)...many have local chapters as well.

-Once you have a great list of things you have accomplished create a professional resume. I would be happy to take a look at your resume and give you some suggestions... I do this for students in the college in which my hospital is associated.

Don't get discouraged if you do not get the first supervisor job that you apply for...if you are willing to relocate the internet is a marvelous tool. Try not to get set up with headhunters that call you and tell you they have a "great opportunity that you would be perfect for"...they charge organizations lots of money so if there are 2 candidates with equal qualifications or if you are slightly better...they will most likely go for the other candidate. I know this from experience. You do not need them to search the internet for you...you can do that yourself.

Good luck!

[GVNurse09]

Thanks for the response!! I'm doing a lot of those things at this point, so I'll continue on. I appreciate your input!

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

In addition to the above (all good stuff), do not forget to market yourself! Basically let everyone know in your life (family, friends, whomever) and at work (yes, even the haters need to know) that becoming a manager is your goal. This way you will put yourself in the minds of those that make the decision to tap a nurse to be the next assistant nurse manger and you will put yourself in the minds of those who may know someone looking for an assistant nurse manger. Mentors or those who wish to mentor you will also do so because you let him/her know of your interest.

Speaking of mentors, my favorites prior to becoming an assistant nurse manger were those who were Staff RN that are former mangers. I loved getting unsolicited advice and critiques to improve myself in the minds of those how make the hiring decisions. Also... some of those nurses still have contacts higher up the food chain, which helped me. :)