LVN Team Leader question

[Quailfeathers]

I am a new grad LVN (Hurray!!!) who will be starting my first job as a LVN and team leader. A portion, as the title implies, will be to oversee the CNA on my shift. I have worked as a CHHA (home health aide - very similar to a CNA) so I understand the stresses, demands, time management issues of the scope of practice for that nursing staff member. I want to be a leader who is approachable, will listen before determining action, willing to assist if needed, and able to teach by example if necessary without micromanaging. Before entering nursing school, I worked for this employer per diem as a nursing assistant so I know some of the staff members.

My question: What traits and examples of situations can you give me that you experienced from your supervisor that were positive or negative. What did you appreciate most? What made situations more difficult than they had to be?

[JakeysMom]

I have worked as a LPN charge nurse for the last 6 1/2 years in LTC. My first piece of advice is to be able to separate friendships from supervisor /supervisee. This being said does not mean that you cannot be friends with your aides, but do not let the friendship put on blinders to the work positions. Also, know your aides well..know which ones do their jobs and which ones don't do their jobs. It isn't hard to find out which ones are which. Learn that your aides can make or break you as a nurse, they are often the first one to notice that something may not just be right with a pt. Offer respect and many thank yous to the aides on a regular basis, as you know this is often a thankless job from the superiors. This coming from a LPN who was an aide for 6-7 years prior to becoming a nurse.

[luvanurse7731]

Congratulations. on becoming an LVN!:yeah:I completely agree with JakeysMom. I too have been an LPN Charge Nurse for a year in an LTC setting. I also worked as a CNA for 8yrs. One of those working with the CNA'S i

currently work with. That has been very difficult. But all in all I treat each one of my fellow co-workers with the utmost respect. And always try to help out when I can. What I can't stand is when a former CNA becomes an LPN and acts like everyone is then beneath them!! I've even seen fellow nurses yell for a CNA down the hall to get a resident a glass of water. Please! Please! Give me a break!! I better get off my soapbox! Lots of luck to you in your new position!!:loveya:

[Quailfeathers]

Thanks Jakeysmom and luvanurse. I appreciate your experience and certainly will continue to treat all nursing staff members with respect. I was talking with a gf who worked corporate for years and the company had an outside consultant come in and find out what employees wanted most from their job. #1 answer was appreciation.

[JakeysMom]

Just to add onto about the friend vs supervisor conflict. I have an even better example of keeping it all separated. My sister-in-law is an aide at the LTC facility that I work at, who is sometimes under my management. I know not the ideal situation, and probably against corporate rules, but we are such a small place that it happens frequently. She has been there for many, many years, and ofcourse being human she made a mistake that was brought to my attention. After investigating it thoroughly, as I always do, I found her to have been in the wrong...and had to write her up. She understood this, and accepted the write-up with no incident. Our relationship has not changed since this. One thing that helped was that we had a long conversation before I ever was her charge nurse, that this type of situation may come up one day and that I could not show her favoritism, and she understood.

I also worked at this facility prior to going to nursing school as an aide, but had worked elsewhere as a nurse before returning to what I refer to as "home". The majority of our aides are long-term (over 5 years or more) employees (we have a small turn over rate which as you know is highly unusual for health care). Getting to the point, I worked with many of the aides as an aide, and have long-term frienships with them, but also had a similar conversation as i did with my sil. And so far everyone respects me for treating everyone equal. I do have a reputation with some of the aides as being a terror, but these are the aides who DON'T do their jobs. The aides that respect me do as they are suppose, and will tell me that the ones who grip about me, and they directly tell these one's that are gripping if you do your work she won't be a terror.