One of my colleagues' husband has just got a job transfer to a region that is not midwife friendly, so she's job searching in the new city. There are no open positions for a midwife and she doesn't want to do bedside labor and delivery. She sent her resume to the hospital recruiter who asked her if she would be interested in interviewing for a nurse manager position for the emergency room. My colleague has never worked as an emergency nurse. Sounds out-of-step but the hospital has a goal of filling all management positions with MSN-prepared nursing staff.
This is a smaller hospital, around 120 beds? Maybe less?
She thinks this may be a good opportunity to bring midwifery into this hospital....eventually...but right now she needs a job. She is very open minded and has a great work ethic. She understands this is a different area--but she hasn't been offered the job and unsure if she should even interview.
Has anyone taken a position before as a manager in an area of nursing where you didn't have experience? How did it work out?
Any insight is welcome....granted, we have all had majority underqualified managers in our careers. However, my colleague is the type that truly listens and is flexible...we are going to hate to lose her in our practice.
Yes, she will have to get all of the needed certifications and has worked in med-surg as a new grad (maybe three years??), but worked for about five years in a high-risk OB unit before becoming a CNM. She's been a CNM for about four years and...as horrible as this sounds...cannot stand the thought of the drastic pay cut that would come with working bedside again. She doesn't have the option of not working. One kid in college and another getting ready to start in a year.
I don't know if traveling nursing hires CNMs but maybe that would be an option, at least for awhile. She'd be away from home but her kids are old enough to be without her. Is she could work the schedule right she could even fly home every week-10 days if it's close enough.
I know this is old but I’ve seen this become a thing lately and it’s been a DISASTER every time. I’ve worked ER, ICU and flight for over 20 years now. When I go into the Er I’m a different nurse even from that of an ICU nurse. There is a flow and beat down that you only get in the ER unlike any other department. You can’t refuse patient reports. You can’t control the flow coming into the ER and you certainly can’t turn down patients because they too complex or “not appropriate” for the care as is done on the floors.
It almost always takes an ER nurse manager with ER experience to understand this as they understand ED flow and stabilization come before many other aspects never considered on the floors. Examples are things like hourly rounding, offering snacks and hydration and other such activities that need to be charted. If you muddy the waters with traditional floor nursing in the ER, patients die.
Nunya, BSN
771 Posts
I don't know if traveling nursing hires CNMs but maybe that would be an option, at least for awhile. She'd be away from home but her kids are old enough to be without her. Is she could work the schedule right she could even fly home every week-10 days if it's close enough.