Manager Woes

[linden-nurse]

Anyone have any insight on how to handle manager problems. I work for a great hospital and the staff is great, but we all have significant issues with the manager. We do not feel valued or supported in our practice. We have huge issues with the nursing aides not doing their work, leaving the unit, sitting using the internet, not doing turns, not answering call lights, taking off to smoke etc. and she will not address the issues with them. Day by day the rift between the RNs and aides gets worse and worse. They, the aides, do not have a license to lose and it their thought that if something doesn't get done, it is the RN's responsibility, and it is. Most of us run our self ragged doing their job and ours. To be fair, we do have a few aides that truly are wonderful and it is great to work a shift with them. The role of the RN is stressful enough without having to do both jobs. I spoke with my manager about this issue and I have been on the **** list ever since. She does not like conflict or better said, does not like to deal with conflict. I have seen issues/problems fester for more than a year and then blow up in our faces. She will not confront the person causing the issues, but will speak harshly to everyone else about how " this or that has to stop" No one feels comfortable talking with her about anything because she has a difficult time keeping anything confidental. Staff morale is in the crapper and it doesn't help that we are all aware of her affair with one the young male nurses who works on our unit. He can do no wrong. Yes, she is married and has kids. The sad fact is the hospital is a good place, offers good pay and benefits, self-scheduling, good PTO, uniforms, parking shuttle, etc, but most of the staff is working a part time job elsewere and the rest are actively seeking employment on a different unit or hospital. A couple of people are just too close to retirement to stir up any trouble. Our hospital is seeking magnet status - good luck with that.

[CNAatHome]

linden-nurse:

It' been a while, but I'll try to help. Going to the Manager with anything but an easy solution is recipe for mud.

Hope you have found another position by now. I've experienced both ends of what you speak, working with the most fun and best RNs, as well as with the opposite situation of a disengaged RN. Slackers of any title are recipe for downhill patient statuses.

The manager couldn't see anything clearly and the staff took notice. Things that ordinarily mattered, went off in a hand-basket.

Since I still speak from the "aide" aspect, I've found that when an RN treats us with respect, acknowledgment, and gives us advanced information necessary to make the RN's job easier, we feel like a motivated part of the "team" and can help keep everyone a step ahead. On the other hand, we sense when we are dismissed by an RN because of our lack of credentials. That leads us to feel we aren't capable in the RN's eyes, so why knock ourselves out? We have studies and families that require our energy, so why not expend it where it will be more valued?

Sorry to hear the rift was growing. Closing the gap amongst peers is a way to solve something -- it won't be with the help of the "Manager." Take "Leadership" into the hands of the floor RNs, and wait for this "Manager" to flush herself out, if it she hasn't already.

[SweettartRN]

As an RN we wee there to see that our patients are cared for. It's my license on the line if a CNA screws up and I for one am not afraid to tell them to get up off their butt and get to work. I am not there to respect them I am there to take care of my patients and to set a good example by going them the best care that I can. Just my $0.02.

[gregsbouch0816]

Amen to the thoughts of CNAatHome. Until I graduate in May, I'm working as a Nurse Tech. On my floor the RN's treat us as a valued team member and they are excited to work with those of us who take patient care seriously. As for the pseudo-manager....I believe pot-stirring definitely places you on a ****-List that is hard to escape, especially at a large hospital where personal issues between managers and staff can lead to write-ups and prevent you from seeking other positions or advancement. And this is an absolute shame because at the end of the day, the pseudo-manager is not held accountable, due to staff members' fear. Perhaps transferring to a different floor/unit/hospital might grant you more personal satisfaction in the job you do, and peace of mind. A high staff turn-over rate and low Press Ganey scores will hopefully lead to the dismissal of such low caliber management. Alternately, "closing the gap amongst peers" in a meeting called with the manager could be a good opportunity for the majority to discuss issues at hand. Strength in numbers.