New grad as a unit manager

[aspiringrn1987]

I work in a subacute rehab facility. I'm a relatively new nurse with less than a year experience. Recently a position opened up at my facility for a unit manager and my supervisor and some coworkers recommended me to apply for it. I applied, went through the interview process and was hired into the position.

I know that I was hired for the position because I am a good, prudent, capable nurse. I also have non-healthcare related management experience.

I have seen numerous posts in the past saying that you aren't truly competent until a couple of years of clinical experience. I have been in my position for about a month and am doing fantastic, I feel confident, I know when I need to utilize my upper management team for support or opinions. My DON has complimented me and told me today that she is more impressed with me each and every day in the new position. A big part of why I was interested in the position is because I think that the experience looks great on a resume.

Is it possible that clinical competence/critical thinking just comes earlier for some?

Do you think moving into a management position early on in the career, and in a subacute setting looks positive on a resume, or could it be a negative in some instances? I am interested to hear other opinions as I build future educational and career goals for myself.

[Sour Lemon]

I guess it depends on what "unit manager" entails at your facility. If you have experienced and available people above you to go to when you find your head is slipping under water, it could be OK.

None of us know what we don't know, although we may feel very confident about what we do know.

[rkitty198, BSN, RN]

Not sure what response you are looking for since it seems like you are already very successful. Obviously the experience you have has served you well for the role. Everyone has different experiences and not everyone is management material no matter what their years of experience are.

edit: my grammer sucks, I am off a 13 hr shift :)

[mrsboots87]

I'm guessing you have heard some naysayers and are either looking for a pat on the back, or some sort of validation that you know more than you do.

You probably are a very capable unit manager if you are getting kudos from the DON. I don't think that it is necessarily a bad thing to be a manager so soon into your nursing career. The problem is that you do not have sound critical thinking skills or competency yet. You are competent in what you know now. But as another poster said, you don't k ow what you don't know.

I worked rehab for 7 montha before moving on to Acute care. I was very confident in my role at the rehab and was sound in my knowledge bad and care for that set of patients. However, without at least a few years of clinical experience, there is no way to experience and be confident in what to do when the poop hits the fan or certain things happen to patients. When I moved to acute care, it hit me like a brick wall and I very quickly and humbly learned I didn't know nearly as much as I thought I did.

Basically, don't get overly confident in your ability. Make sure you use your resources when you truly don't know. Management must see something in you to promote you as a new grad. As long as you have good support for the inevitable situation that will come up that you have no experience in, then take this as a nice resume booster and good learning experience.

[heron, ASN, RN]

Here's the thing, OP: management and nursing are two different skill sets. As an experienced manager, it's not a surprise that those above you in the management hierarchy are pleased with your work. You have no idea of the damage that can be done when units are saddled with incompetent managers.

It's the nursing skill set that is lagging - I don't care how smart you are, with less than a year of experience, you're still a novice. This will make it harder for you to advocate or set standards for your staff, since you have only a superficial idea of what they are dealing with. Is there some way you can still spend time at the bedside without killing yourself with exhaustion?

[dishes, BSN, RN]

Do you think moving into a management position early on in the career, and in a subacute setting looks positive on a resume, or could it be a negative in some instances? I am interested to hear other opinions as I build future educational and career goals for myself.

As Heron said, the skill set for bedside nursing is different from the skill set for management. Moving into a management position early on in a career can pigeonhole the person to work in management positions throughout their career.

I can't help but wonder why the senior management is grooming a new grad with one month of experience for a management position, does the facility have a revolving door of staff? is there a history of under-staffing? failure to rescue? hostile workplace? I guess you will find out what the problems are soon enough.

[aspiringrn1987]

I haven't had any naysayers so to speak. I work in a very supportive environment and do know when to get help. I work closely with another manager for the same unit who has decades of clinical experience and has been a huge mentor to me. I just wondered if it is a negative to go into a management position early in the career if, for example, I wanted to move to acute care as a floor nurse and decided at any point NOT to continue on a management path.

[aspiringrn1987]

I don't have a month of experience, it is nearly a year experience and I am now already in the position.

[brownbook]

For some nurses it may be hard to transition from any specialty area of nursing into acute care nursing, irregardless if they worked management. However thousands of nurses have done it.

You sound like an extremely intelligent competent level headed nurse. Being promoted into management looks good on any resume.

I worked bedside nursing many years, then management for five years. I was really nervous about returning to bedside nursing but it came back to me.

There are refresher courses available for nurses who haven't worked bedside floor nursing.

[heron, ASN, RN]

I haven't had any naysayers so to speak. I work in a very supportive environment and do know when to get help. I work closely with another manager for the same unit who has decades of clinical experience and has been a huge mentor to me. I just wondered if it is a negative to go into a management position early in the career if, for example, I wanted to move to acute care as a floor nurse and decided at any point NOT to continue on a management path.

Well - I think my post addressed that question. Management experience will help move you up in management. It is not nursing experience.

[dishes, BSN, RN]

What is the job market like in your area, is it competitive? What are requirements for acute care job postings? Do employers require nurses to have two-three years related experience? If so and you are interested in being a competitive applicant for an acute care position, you should try to obtain two-three years of bedside experience because it will increase your clinical competence and your chances of being hired. For a better understanding of how experience relates to acquisition and development of bedside skill, suggest you read Patricia Benner's Novice to Expert theory.

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

Just keep your finger's crossed that something doesn't hit the fan and go wrong because when it does, I feel you will be the first to go should a choice be made. You are easier to get rid of if a cover up needs to happen. There are pluses and minuses to everything. The other thing is you are cheaper than an experienced nurse because you don't have years and years of experience.