Nurses, Interview Your Prospective Manager!

[Doc Lori, R.N.]

Well, congratulations! You made it through your first interview with the clicky - heeled - human - resources specialist. Now, you are about to be escorted (or not ) to visit the unit to which you have applied. On top of this fireball of excitement, you will be interviewed by your prospective unit manager. Isn't that fantastic. A job! You are perhaps nervous, and rightfully so. You actively sought this position, cleaned up your resume, cleared your mind and prepared your responses so that anyone who wouldn't hire you could be easily considered a blockhead. This individual is a blockhead if they don't expect you to be sizing them up as well.

You know the saying that is really appropriate for a health care workplace setting, "Um, stuff trickles downhill"? It does, and we all know it, no matter where on the hill your vantage point may be. By nature in any corporate hierarchical environment, this just is what is is. What I am getting at is this: If your to-be manager lacks what you feel to be a sense of boundaries, is wishy-washy, gets easily caught up in manipulation or becomes all giggly and excited about silly things, then, beware, oh, yes indeed, beware.

These behaviors are indicative of a dreadfully weak leader who needs your energy in order to survive and feel liked.. In this case, this manager's modus operandi (which they are usually unaware of) is to obtain their sense of self esteem extrinsically, through you, when it should be to set an example through strength. You as a staff level employee will end up catching all the flies, get knotted up in their dysfunction, become marinated in muddy toxicity and be forced to partake the "he said she said game" of professional codependent hopscotch. Your position is difficult and challenging under the best of circumstances, let alone having to function in an unhealthy health care work environment by being responsible for your manager's feelings. Seriously, beware. The unit manager sets the tone for the unit. The unit manager is not only responsible to manage and oversee the daily operations of the unit but in a very real sense, manages the flow and the energy of the work environment as well.

I think back to an interview for a nursing position that I had during my active nursing career. One of the questions posed to me was, "what are your expectations of me as your unit manager"? I thought, that is a good question. My response was, for you to be a strong leader, to be supportive of your staff. The look on her face was one of, "this chick must be crazy". I was offered the position however, and in observing her role as my unit manager over the proceeding three years, it was clear that the word "supportive" is what choked her, as she didn't know how I defined it. I felt the word "supportive" spoke for itself. She perceived that I felt that for her to be supportive meant a free ticket for me not to be accountable. Wow, Oh Brother, and other expletives. This was a valuable lesson.

In addition to the obvious discussions which are part of the interview process, such as staff/patient ratios, unit policies, etc., here are some diagnostic concepts and questions which you can use in order to identify potential red flags in the psyche of your prospective manager. Tap into your instinctual stethoscope and never, ever discount your intuition, as this is why you have been attracted to the healing arts. Your intuition is impeccable. You hear me? Alright, onward.

1. Request that the manager take you on a tour of the unit, if it is not offered to you.
2. Observe the interactions (verbal and non-verbal) between the manager, staff, patients and family members.
3. Ask your interviewer who their manager is and what this individual's interactions are with the unit.
4. Beware of compliments. Statements such as, "I really like you already" only indicates the individual's desire for you to "like" them already.
5. Ask what they feel makes them an effective manager.
6. Professionally communicate what your expectations are in a manager.
7. If the manager does not do this, incorporate the word "supportive" into the conversation. Make sure you define what this word means to you. Professionally inquire what it means to them.
8. Ask about staff turn over rates.
9. Know your innate sense of self worth and above all;
10. Walk confidently on your healing path, and hold your head high.

[Nurse Smiley]

Wow, thank you everyone! As a newer nurse, I have been afraid to ask an interviewer about turn over for fear of being seen as too inquisitive and not minding my own business. I read on a website not to ask about it because if it is a sore spot for the interviewer the negative energy might turn to us. Also, I know that people transfer, leave, and whatever else.

I called a company once and the nurse said "I will pass on your resume because you seem like a nice person; but I'm outta here"! I was lucky enough to get the job and a few months later, I resigned for something better, and often thought of her and because I had experienced her same emotion; "I got outta there".

Happy Summer Everyone,

Nurse Smiley

[nurseinlimbo]

So true. I observe the staff on a unit when I visit, and the first few shifts to see how they interact with eachother. A happy unit that has good management generally has less negativity and gossip and more comraderie. I have only had one job where it felt like things functioned really well, and it was for a male manager who did not allow upper management to dictate his managerial style. A good manager is fair, leads by example, is a good listener and does not get caught up in drama. Unfortunately my good manager eventually ended up with a boss who wanted his head, and she found a fool proof way to get rid of him on a technicality. Upper management often has no conscience, and if a manager is easily manipulated and dictated to, budget and numbers take over where people should be. A manager who puts their people first will always have a happy unit.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

I just found this thread while doing a search on Google; perhaps we could resurrect it for a day?

I signed up to participate in a group interview for a new nurse manager. I work in a 10 bed inpatient hospice unit. We have not had the greatest manager since we opened, so I want to ask some good questions and at least know what we're getting into if this candidate is hired. So, I'm looking for some good questions to ask her.

So far, I've got the following:

1) How would you describe yourself as a manager? How would those you've managed in the past describe you?

2) Tell us about an employee who become more successful as a result of your management.

3) What do you look for in people you hire?

4) Give an example of how you've made work more efficient for your staff.

5) Why do people like working for you?

6) If an employee were underperforming in some way, how would you handle it?

7) What makes you an effective manager?

I doubt I will get the chance to ask everything I want, and I'm sure my co-workers and I will cover all the important stuff in one way or another. Is there anything else you would ask or want to know about your future nurse manager before his/her first day?

Thanks in advance!

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

carakristin1, why don't you post your response verbatim as a whole new thread? I bet you will get a lot of responses!!

[Guest343211]

I appreciate your article and the responses. I have to be realistic, even though so much of what people have said here is true.

Most levels of admin function by way of doing it their way--whatever that may be in terms of leadership--not often well defined--or defined briefly in value statements--and if you don't suit them their way, of if they think you won't, you as a staff nurse are REPLACEABLE--totally expendable. In the same way, when mid mgt doesn't follow admin's real life definition of leadership--what's important to their bottom line beyond all else, well, then mid-mgt is expendable too. And that is precisely why cr*p runs downhill.

My point is, it is truly tough to find a place that really knows what genuinely good, effective, objective, and balanced leadership means--in terms of day-to-day applications. It's often about admin's bottom line, and that is sadly what ends up driving mid and upper level leadership.