New Grad Manager?

[BroganRN]

Hi All... Just looking for a bit of advice!

I am a relatively new grad RN (June 2010). YAY for NCLEX being a thing of the past!!! Anywho, I have worked at a LTC facility for about six years now. I started out in dietary then moved to front desk receptionist when I began nursing school (they allowed me to do homework and study at the desk... AWESOME). Once I passed boards, I started to look for a hospital job because that's the environment I had always planned on working in. After a few months of hundreds of applications, my Associate's degree and 0 acute care experience did not land me any interviews, so I decided to take a part time floor nurse position at the LTC I had worked at for years. They put me on the skilled hall, however, so my patients were mostly there for therapy/rehab and had nice wounds and acute problems so I wasn't too disappointed. After a few months of this part time work, I was offered a new position at the same facility -- Unit Manager of one of the long term halls. After much thought and consideration, I took the position. I recently became engaged and would love to move out of my parents' basement and this position came with a nice raise, benefits, insurance, flexible hours, no holidays, no weekends.... pretty much everything I could ask for!

So here I am 21 years old, an RN for about 7 months, and am now in charge of planning and overseeing care for 23 residents as well as supervising staff on my hall.... YIKES! Needless to say, some staff nurses weren't very happy about it. There is so much to learn on top of me feeling a little inferior to the nurses that work on my hall that have been nurses for years and years. Most of our hall nurses are LPNs and our managers must be RNs, but I still do not feel like my rookie nursing judgment trumps theirs one bit. I get a lot of encouragement from our DON, administrator, other managers and supervisors, etc... the people at this place are WONDERFUL and that's partly why I haven't left. But my issue now is, I'm just not sure this is the type of work I'm cut out to do right now. I feel like I need to develop more sound judgment before I can confidently manage other nurses and nurse aides -- but I still do my best every day. I'm not sure I have tough enough skin yet to have this responsibility! I would still love any staff nurse position at any hospital and have recently started looking around again... but I feel like this place has given me SO MUCH and I'm not sure I'd be happy somewhere else? Do I take the risk of leaving???

Ahhh... sorry so long... any thoughts?

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you were fortunate enough to land a great job and obviously your facility thinks you have what it takes. I had a friend in a similar situation- hired into LTC/SNF right after graduation, worked there maybe six months and was offered a unit manager position, which she accepted. I'm sure she felt out of her depth at first too, and yes, she took some animosity from the LPNs (and a couple RNs) that had been there longer than her.

What matters is that this is the right position for you and who cares what anyone else thinks. The skills that you mentioned- judgement and tough skin- are things that you will develop. But how can you develop them if you don't stay in the position? It's like time management and prioritization- you can't learn those skills unless you practice every day. Yes, going back to a staff nurse position might be more comfortable, but are you going to have the same opportunity to develop your leadership skills?

Here is a similar example- a new nurse is just off orientation and overwhelmed with trying to care for five patients. She thinks "If I could just go back to being a student, and only have two patients, I'll have more time to work on these skills." Unfortunately, there is no way to learn certain skills as a student. You have to do the work of an RN to hone time management and so on. Likewise, you have to be in this management position to develop certain skills.

What is making you want to leave? Is it just that you feel out of your depth? Do you like the work? Do you like who you work with? Think about the long term- will this job give you financial stability? Does it give you a schedule that works for a growing family? What are your long term (5-10 year) goals and how does this job line up with those?

I would hate to see you leave a good job and a good work environment because you feel overwhelmed. At least give yourself six months or so to grow into it and see how you feel about it then. Acute care, or any other position, comes with it's share of pros and cons. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Good luck!

Ashley

[slave_diverRN]

I've spent the last decade or so in the corporate world, so take this with a grain of salt.....

Really good managers listen to their staff and respect their staff's judgment. They are usually experts in MANAGING, thinking creatively and solving problems, not necessarily *doing* the job the staff does. Sure, it helps when you have a clue, but that's not necessarily the FOCUS of being a manager.

You've been at this facility a long time, you know how things work and you're also an RN....maybe the LPNs have more direct patient care experience, but that is their primary role, so they SHOULD be good at it. Keep being respectful to them and LISTENING and ACTING on their concerns and you'll earn their respect despite your limited experience as an RN.

Don't leave this job because you are feeling inexperienced next to the LPNs....leave it if its not want you want for your long-term career.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

is this a real supervisory role or a basic ltc rn role? if it is a supervirory role then, experienced nurses will tell you that management in the nursing world is not exactly the same as management in a strictly business world (mostly paper work). for this very reason, you are finding yourself in a bad situation (actually having to know and be experienced in clinical nursing, regulations.... etc). for example, if you lose your job through termination, the reasons your facility will use to get rid of you may risk your license because you did not know what you needed to know to prevent poor outcomes with patients or during an inspection. therefore, you must decide if the risk is worth hanging on to this job...

by the way, you are not the only new grad offered such jobs.... here is a recent thread with advice from experienced nurse to a new grad with no healthcare or managerial experience:

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/what-expect-rn-558349.html

on the other hand, if it is a basic ltc rn role, you may be ok if you are getting good support. if not, continue to seek other jobs. gl!