Management...could I do it?

[Aadkin14]

Hello everyone,

So here is my situation. I am an almost 3 yr Emergency Department RN with many certifications and an intense passion for the profession. I am a hard worker and never turn an opportunity down. I am also single and live by myself.

My work history does include ED nursing, being a clinical instructor for a BSN college, and being a client educator at a local health clinic (yes, I got very busy right out of school!).

I'm not bragging, but I have a work ethic, that I believe is above and beyond my age, I care about my patients and coworkers. I am also always learning in new ways and am a preceptor for new grads and students in our department.

Recently, I was approached with the idea thAt upper management was wondering if I would be interested in an assistant manager position on one of our 50 bed SDU floors. It would be a huge increase in pay for me. With a 40 hr work week.

I guess I'm worried about two things...

1) Am I too "new" yet to even be thinking about management? 3 years experience...is that enough?

2) Is leaving the clinical world this early going to affect my career later?

Any thoughts or advice would be helpful.

I'm so thankful for this opportunity and have always had a keen eye towards management, but honestly I never thought I would be at this crossroads so early in my career. I'm humbled.

Thoughts? Anddddd....GO!

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hello everyone,

1) Am I too "new" yet to even be thinking about management? 3 years experience...is that enough?

2) Is leaving the clinical world this early going to affect my career later?

Thoughts? Anddddd....GO!

First, congrats on being offered an opportunity for management. Most of us had to kick down doors to create our own opportunities. :)

1.) Two years of clinical work experience is helpful for the bedside skills you will need. However, there is no amount of clinical bedside work experience that will prepare you for management because they are entirely separate skills. This is why some very good bedside nurses make lousy nurse managers and wash out within his/her first year. So, no you are not too new.

In fact, you should be given a comprehensive orientation as a new nurse manager and provided an on-going education and training program in nursing management by your employer. If this is not the case, RUN!!!! :)

2.) No worries, you are not leaving the clinical world. Assistant Nurse Management positions are basically Charge Nurse positions that are paid salaries and who have direct reports.

On the other hand, if you find yourself in a rare ANM position within the hospital setting where you spend all of your time behind a desk, then take on a Charge or Staff RN position Per Diem somewhere else to keep up your skills.

Good luck. :)

[jrt4]

First, congrats on being offered an opportunity for management. Most of us had to kick down doors to create our own opportunities. :)

1.) Two years of clinical work experience is helpful for the bedside skills you will need. However, there is no amount of clinical bedside work experience that will prepare you for management because they are entirely separate skills. This is why some very good bedside nurses make lousy nurse managers and wash out within his/her first year. So, no you are not too new.

In fact, you should be given a comprehensive orientation as a new nurse manager and provided an on-going education and training program in nursing management by your employer. If this is not the case, RUN!!!! :)

2.) No worries, you are not leaving the clinical world. Assistant Nurse Management positions are basically Charge Nurse positions that are paid salaries and who have direct reports.

On the other hand, if you find yourself in a rare ANM position within the hospital setting where you spend all of your time behind a desk, then take on a Charge or Staff RN position Per Diem somewhere else to keep up your skills.

Good luck. :)

I agree with most of what MBARNBSN has said already. I accepted an assistant nurse manager with 1 year of experience and it was a great decision. As MBARNBSN has stated most of these positions offer some sort of clinical component. My current organization supports a manager and assistant manager out of staffing numbers so we do spend a lot of time in meetings and in our office but we are still on the unit occasionally. You would be involved in policy and practice changes so you would not be out of the loop. I hate when nurse managers say they have lost their clinical skills. Nursing is less about skills and more about knowledge. Now I also agree that the best bedside nurses often make the worst managers. You have to be OK with getting the office work done before helping with patient care unless it is particularly crazy on the unit.

Hope this helps! Good luck.