BethAnnie74

You could ask "why me"? Or "what exactly should I say"? This will shed some light on why they picked you, what they expect, and if it's a personal or professional request. If you do have a conversation with the new hiring team/manager, then be transparent. "Oh I know Suzie asked me for a reference since I recommended her for the current role. Unfortunately, I must not be a great judge of skill because she just doesn't seem to be a good fit on this unit or with this team. " You can also ask what skills the new hire needs - then find one or two she or he may fit. "Oh, yeah she likes kids" or "He never has to call backup for the hard stick" (even though you know that means they stuck the patient 50 times). If you HAVE to do give specifics, spin it into a positive comment. If she always called out you could say "She always notified management timely when she was unable to come in for her shift". If the call bells were on too long you could say "... was a big promoter of patient autonomy". Too cliquey/flirty could be "developed close peer partnerships". Making aides/coworkers do everything is "really good at delegating tasks to peers." Always taking a lunch/never staying late/never saying yes to being called in - "rarely had any overtime", "has a strong work-life balance" or "faithfully practices self care throughout the shift". Don't lie, but any good interviewer will see through the semantics. Good luck ?

Hi Bella - I think it depends on the company. I stared at my insurance company as a case manager over 15 years ago, too. I also am not keen on supervising a staff, but I do enjoy leading. I have found I can still be a "leader" through my various roles - I have been in nurse education, quality, appeals, program design and am now in informatics. Ask a lot of questions and look for any opportunity to do something different - join an employee resource group, organize a team volunteer challenge, or offer to lead a training/call for your team. If your specific team has no opportunity to move up and you still have the desire, don't be afraid to look at ALL the job postings (don't filter - you'd be surprised what gets filtered out). Good Luck!

YES! There is a PLACE for you. We just have to find it ? Being a NURSE does not mean you have to work at BEDSIDE in a HOSPITAL. There are so many places nurses are needed and used, a busy med-surg floor is just one of them. yes, you can think about another shift, unit, floor, or even smaller hospital. But why not think about the other things you like? For example - like kids? What about school nursing? If you like geriatrics, try assisted living centers. Like computers? Try an insurance company and think about case management (calling people after they are discharged) or providing reviews for hospitals ("utilization review"). Is there a specialty you like - think about an outpatient center or provider office. Churches have parish nurses and corporations have occupational health nurses. DME and RX companies hire nurses for product demonstration and hotlines. Lawyers hire nurses for case review and workers compensation claims. Some may require additional certification, and some might be wiling to train. Don't give up! Just do some research, network, explore and don't be afraid of the unknown. You would be surprised what you find.