Mili

I did the exact same thing--I was promoted to Director over a unit where I had worked as a staff nurse. I took the job and have no regrets. It was sticky at first, but well worth it in the end. Good luck to you!!

At our facility, each nurse gets a free movie pass to our local theater, a thank you letter signed by all of the nursing directors and the management team makes banana splits for all. One year, we had a casino day--slot machines, blackjack tables and all kinds of treats. Last year we had massage therapists come to the hospital to give each nurse a 10 minute neck and shoulder massage.

How about a gift certificate? Maybe a restaurant or a massage?

Does anyone have a worksheet used by Nurses and Nurse assistants to communicate information regarding patient care during the shift? Maybe something with VS, I & O, Ambulation, turns, etc.

At my facility any color or print may be worn by nurses and techs. We are, of course, required to wear our name badges at all times so our patients can tell us apart. We used to have designated colors for each unit, but noone liked it--so we changed.

Our blood sugars are collected by laboratory personnel. Nurses do not do ancillary tasks at my facility. We have RT, PT, lab for that. We have not had any problems with the insulin protocol. When we first started it, I had one of the pharmacists come to my staff meeting--which I made mandatory for RN's. We involved the nursing staff with the development of the protocol and the rest has been a piece of cake. I have found that if you involve the staff, you will save yourself a lot of grief later. The nurses feel that they have really been a part of the process, which has really diffused a lot of problems.

We have a really great protocol. If you want to email me, I will send it to you.

I have been in nursing management since 1999. At present, I am Director of Patient Care for a 15 bed Cardiac Step-down and a 33 bed general medical unit. I am directly responsible for 48 FTE's--which translates to 65 employees. My greatest challenge: When I became the Director for my current unit, the unit was in a great amount of turmoil. The previous Director had walked off the job--no notice, he just didn't come back. The nurse manager--who had not gotten along with the director--had just transferred to another department. The amount we were spending on agency nurses was astronomical--1/4 of the RN positions were vacant. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me. That was three years ago. Now, my unit is extremely stable. All of my RN positions are filled and we have not used agency help for 18 months. I guess you could say that my greatest challenge also became my greatest reward. I wouldn't change what I do for anything.

For the most part, I hire for attitude. The caveat is, of course, that I wouldn't hire someone who has proven themselves incompetent--even if they had the best personality in the world. Given the choice, however, I would hire a new grad with a great attitude before I would hire an experienced nurse with a poor attitude. Whenever I interview a candidate, the thought that is uppermost in my mind is, "How will this person affect our team?" If it is not a good fit, I pass. This seems to work quite well, because I have very little turnover. I also have had all of my RN positions filled for the past 18 months--and on a 48 bed Medical/Cardiac unit, that is pretty unusual.