Unit Coordinators

[charmedpn]

Ok the sceniaro is this: When you are hired at your job 5 months ago there were lots of other nurses. They all leave one at a time to go else where. Suddenly the unit coordinator leaves as well to do MDS. This unit is a rehab unit for hips, knees so on so forth. Suddenly you get asked you need to be unit coordinator. you think they are joking. However, today you get asked by human resources and the DON if you would be instered in the position. It is very demanding and you still have duties as a floor nurse as well. Problem arises when you find out they hired two new nurses and they are RN's you are an LPN. Does this pose a problem?

[kstec, LPN]

I would personally be offended and get out of dodge as fast as you can. You should be working primarily for what you went to school for, nursing. I say primarily because on occasion everyone helps everyone out with different jobs.

[Bluehair]

What are your goals for your career? This sounds like a middle management position of sorts. Is management the direction you would like to go? I have worked with some OUTSTANDING LPN's whose professionalism and knowledge base exceeded half the RN's I know. As an RN, I would have zero problem working for a unit coordinator/manager with that sort of background. Not all feel that way, though, so you might want to be prepared for some conflict if you accept the position. Good luck!

ps - be prepared, these sorts of positions can be pretty demanding in the time arena.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I work at a large, upscale nursing home that utilizes LPNs for managerial positions because they are the cheaper, more cost-effective option.

My facility's DON is an RN-BSN. The facility has three ADONs (assistant directors of nursing), and they are all LPNs. One of these LPNs is a 25 year old woman who has been licensed for only 2 years and has minimal floor nursing experience. The MDS coordinator is an LPN. The admissions manager is an LPN. The DOSD (director of staff development) is an LPN. All of these people have been with the company for less than 2 years, and a few have only a couple of months experience with the company.

With all of the LPNs in middle management at my workplace, there are several RN floor nurses who have absolutely no managerial or supervisory roles. They simply work the medication cart. There's no friction between the managerial LPNs and the floor nurse RNs, because these RNs do not want the responsibility of being in middle management. It all works out well, but I personally think my facility has too many chiefs and not enough indians.