IRF-Nurse

Have to agree with above posts... if you're not interested in that position, say so but with a kindness to your tone... say that you don't feel it would be a good long term fit (most hiring managers don't want someone that's just going to leave in a few months). It is entirely acceptable to say "I'm very interested in XYZ specialty area, and would love to interview if you get an opening there. However, I don't feel that I'm a good long term fit for the role in the unit, since my long term goals includ XYZ specialty." A good manager, and a good recruiter, aren't looking for a quick hire... they're looking for a person who will be a good long term fit. And know that when you do that, you ARE taking some significant risks... I turned down my first new grad offer (med surg) in hopes of another position I was "sure" I had... I didn't get the L&D job I wanted and spent the next 6 months in SNF... that decision to be picky cost me dearly. Good Luck in your search.

THIS!!

Esme is right unfortunately... and when the numbers don't look good, the admins need someone to blame... and when the admins crunch down on staffing... the nurses need someone to blame... Those statements by OP are obviously exaggerated, but sadly believed by many direct care staff.... Despite the manager doing things like...... oh I dunno, taking an injured employee to the ER him/herself and seeing about helping another employee find a place to stay in an emergency..... THIS is the reason many managers return to bedside. :-)

Management in nursing is NOTHING like management elsewhere... vague business familiarity is useful, but it is not the same environment... I would say be prepared to be expected to keep everyone (above and below you) happy... not really a realistic goal.

First problem... yes, you are used to a former person's way of doing it... from your comments I take it that person is gone. Truly you need to get over this part... it is not fair to yourself, nor your manager to keep comparing the new manager to the prior one. "You can't move forward when you're holding onto the past" THAT sounds like the problem truly... you don't appear to feel believed/supported. SAY that to her, and to the corporate superior of HR. That's not a judgement nor a complaint, but an information that manager needs in order to better benefit herself, the company, the team, and the patients. Then really look at it honestly... are you the only one feeling unsupported? Do others also describe this? Or is it possible that you have had a series of complaints and the manager is becoming convinced that you do not seek to improve/grow in response to guidance? Is the entire team missing the mentoring portion of the management role? OK, so therein is another piece of the problem... if you're right and they are "friends" not just peers with a good working relationship, then both may be stepping into unethical bounds... and the corporate HR person should look to see if that is the case.... if you're NOT right and you're assuming this based on a good working relationship, you're subconsciously putting yourself as an 'outsider' to the leadership.... and in general, putting up a barrier between you and your manager that will likely not go well for you. ** You have choices... heck maybe your history of studying law has made her approach you differently out of defensiveness and wanting to be sure she isn't being "snowed" by someone who knows how to win an argument.....

Well said... I think that far too often a "good nurse" is assumed to be a "good leader" by non nurse admins... and that's not so much the truth. Nursing management is ALL about mentoring others to lead (charge/supervisor role) and motivating others to grow. If you haven't experienced mentoring, it will be hard for you to practice and to teach. Mentoring others requires relationship building and social skills. Frequently a "strong nurse" is a very task oriented person who excels at the assigned tasks, but isn't necessarily strong in social skills. If you don't have strong social skills, you will very likely struggle as a manager. The days of the cold corporate nurse leader are over... building a positive rapport, despite giving them bad news regularly, is vital. Find a mentor and experience that side of it before you go trying to teach it. Take a look at the Stephen Covey book "The Speed of Trust" and learn LOTS. ~ signed by a nurse leader with MSN in Leadership and 5+ yrs experience in leadership roles.

Yes it does... but stop and think of it from one other angle... think what it must be like to SUFFER with a metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance or diabetes... and have people judge you for it... Latest diabetes and obesity research is leaning toward discovery of a genetically transmitted epidemic in our country of insulin resistance (and metabolic disease) that results in obesity. And I'd say travel outside our country, and you'll see the size 4 people, are REALLY everywhere. There is something definitely going on, and it's not just what they eat/move.

As a nursing leader, I would tell you to go for it... I can teach any nurse a task oriented skill... but I can't teach motivation. So I hire based on the licensure, motivation, and personality... the rest is teach-able. :-)

You do not need to tell the director WHAT your condition is... But I would likely let her know that changing schedules isn't something you're able to do for personal/medical reasons. I would also ask that supervisor if s/he's willing to work with you to make it work out for each of you. If that's not possible, then ask for a commitment that allows you to schedule your personal/medical needs on your time off. Obviously that supervisor is either under pressure to make the transition, or feels that your relationship with your coworker has gone beyond the merely professional. Either way, if her goal IS to change your days... you may need to consider rearranging your treatment days or looking for another place with a more convenient schedule...

As an experienced charge nurse, leader, DON, and now Chief officer of a nursing unit... I would SERIOUSLY recommend the note above by Georgia Peach RN.... You have a choice here... move forward in your "righteous indignation" with the disciplinary process... sure, you probably can. Likely you will build more distrust with others as that fosters a punitive environment. Did he lie? You say you caught it, and I believe that... but in his mind, he was responding dismissively to a question that could be seen as dismissive/disrespectful of his experience.... (the old "stupid questions" and "stupid answers" adage). OR, YOU can choose to grow as a professional and rebuild the relationship... find COMMON ground with this guy, apologize (yes, apologize) for appearing to insult him... assure him that was not intentional and that as a new nurse, you're still learning... including learning that SOME LVNs are far more capable and qualified than our RN peers... now after you've done the above and begun to earn a little of the necessary trust (above and beyond the damage you've done to it already)... start to pay attention. You ARE still learning, but you are also observing patterns. Including patterns such as skill weaknesses you can help him develop under the guise of sharing something you learned (fully implying that you are sure he knew already). ALL nurse leaders will tell you "Providing feedback without creating undue conflict is an ART! Leadership is about building relationships." And unfortunately you shouldn't be tasked with that so early on... but it appears your choices in that matter are limited, unless you want to seek a new employer already (not so easy to do, as leaders look for those kinds of "red flags" on short term employment dates). Good Luck!

TheCommuter is right!! Please note... CMS requires (as of 2010 regs) that the PM&R trained physician round on the patient 3xweekly minimum. IF the physicians there want to use an NP, that's all fine and dandy... I would expect that varies from one provider to another, but it does not replace the physician notes - we've had those dreaded RAC audits to prove it. CMS seems to be trying to get physician extenders OUT of IRF settings everywhere. That said... I'd encourage you toward PT... IRF is the only environment that I know in healthcare where nursing is so casually disregarded by other professions. Instead of balance, we've achieved only a pendulum swing.

Thing is... they not only have the right to refuse you rehire as long as they are in business... they also have the right to tell others that you are not eligible for rehire... don't burn bridges, it's important - if you think they don't share commentary on staff nurses who make their job harder than it should be... you're wrong.