I need some advise

[goodtwin315]

I am currently a nurse educator for a hospital. I am the ED nurse educatorwhich is considered management in my hopsital, I am employed by the education dept not the ED. I am also an ED nurse. Recently a clinical nurse manager spot has opened up. the problem is I want to get into ED managment but this job would be a pay grade lower and I think I lose another retirement benefit with I drop a pay grade. My concern is I want to get ED management on my resume but do I do it at the trade off of losing alittle money and some retirement money. the difference would be about 8,000 dollars a pay grade.

my cocern is if I ever leave my current job and I want to change jobs and get an ED clicnical manager or ED manager job will all hospitals look at my educator job as management??

thanks

[llg, PhD, RN]

I am currently a nurse educator for a hospital. I am the ED nurse educatorwhich is considered management in my hopsital, I am employed by the education dept not the ED. I am also an ED nurse. Recently a clinical nurse manager spot has opened up. the problem is I want to get into ED managment but this job would be a pay grade lower and I think I lose another retirement benefit with I drop a pay grade. My concern is I want to get ED management on my resume but do I do it at the trade off of losing alittle money and some retirement money. the difference would be about 8,000 dollars a pay grade.

my cocern is if I ever leave my current job and I want to change jobs and get an ED clicnical manager or ED manager job will all hospitals look at my educator job as management??

thanks

My career has similarly been in staff education ... but has involved some management work over the years ... in that gray area in between. I really appreciate your question and understand the decision you are trying to make.

No, I don't think that other hospitals will consider your staff education role the same thing as experience in management ... but they will consider it a leadership position. You're in a common situation, in a gray area, that most experienced managers know is on the fringes of management, but not really management. Future prospective employers will probably make a fairly accurate assessment of your credentials and experience as they review any application you make for jobs in the future.

Now ...the bigger question is: Do you want to get actual management experience? ... and if so ... Are you willing to make any sacrifices for it? Sometimes, we all have to make lateral moves, or even take a pay cut to get to where we want to be long term. Only you can know whether or not the sacrifice will be worth it to you or not. Also, if the position is in the same institution, how sure are you about the amount of the pay cut? At my hospital, people don't take much of a pay cut in situations like yours as long as their old salary is still in the range of the new job. They keep their old salary and just don't get the same raises as everyone else until their salary is in line with what it would have been had they taken the pay cut.

My advice -- explore the opportunity -- find out for sure about the compensation -- and really compare the 2 different career paths (education and management) in detail. Think hard about which is the better choice for you and then make your decision.

Good luck.