Unit Manager Position

RegularNurse · Mar 1, 2017

If they don't want to pay you a real salary for the manager job, immediately withdrawal yourself from consideration. Management career progression and salary increases are dependent on previous salaries. If you stay with this business, you will never get paid what you are worth because you never received appropriate compensation from day 1.

This is a negotiation opportunity. Tell them you are interested in the manager job at a different salary, but at the current salary, you are only interested in the the charge nurse responsibilities.

In terms of which job to take, this depends on you and your career goals. Management is a non-clinical career trajectory. If your goal is to eventually not do direct patient care, opportunity is knocking.

The charge nurse role may still have clinical responsibilities. The next step up from the charge nurse role is manager. So you have the opportunity to bypass this position. It stands to reason that the manager position pays better than the charge nurse job.

Ask yourself this question. Why is this company offering a management level position to a part-time employee?

HopefulRN7 · Mar 1, 2017

If they don't want to pay you a real salary for the manager job, immediately withdrawal yourself from consideration. Management career progression and salary increases are dependent on previous salaries. If you stay with this business, you will never get paid what you are worth because you never received appropriate compensation from day 1.
This is a negotiation opportunity. Tell them you are interested in the manager job at a different salary, but at the current salary, you are only interested in the the charge nurse responsibilities.
In terms of which job to take, this depends on you and your career goals. Management is a non-clinical career trajectory. If your goal is to eventually not do direct patient care, opportunity is knocking.
The charge nurse role may still have clinical responsibilities. The next step up from the charge nurse role is manager. So you have the opportunity to bypass this position. It stands to reason that the manager position pays better than the charge nurse job.
Ask yourself this question. Why is this company offering a management level position to a part-time employee?

I would venture to guess because there is not a chance they could advertise the position to outside nurses with experience in the Mgr role at the salary they can offer. It's a privately owned facility and our area is experiencing a major nursing shortage in all settings, staffing is a big problem currently among the nursing staff (another red flag that screams- do not take the Mgr role!)

Thank you for the solid advice and suggestions, very much appreciated!

RegularNurse · Mar 1, 2017

Thank you, and well said!

Expanding on this, if you are interested in becoming an administrator or manager, you are now playing the long game. These career opportunities will always exist.

However, management jobs that are offered in a climate of desperation are like stepping to the plate with an 0-2 count.

Personally, I would recommend finding an employer to work as a staff nurse which offers mentorship programs and tuition reimbursement. Get an MSN, MBA, or MHA. At the very least, you will become a better writer and negotiate a better salary based on qualifications.

Angry LPN · Mar 7, 2017

By all means, take that management job. You don't have to work the floors anymore. The last nursing home I worked at, the AC broke down on the units but all the lazy people in management got huge window units in their clean offices where they curled up to watch TV, surf the internet, talk on their cell phones while they would come out and threaten as floor slaves as our scrubs would be drenched with sweat from the heat and humidity if they thought we might be watching something on someone's television, or if we used the computer and made a quick call home to check on a situation. Only people in management can do that. It felt like walking into an igloo when you were being threatened, intimidated, or being told to worker harder from someone who doesn't really do any work at all. I over heard one say after she refused to come in and help one nurse take on 200 patients because one from the pool called in and the other didn't show on the midnight shift "If I do that once, they will expect me to all the time". Yes, wouldn't that be terrible. Actually do something to help these people who rely on us to meet their needs. Nobody sawed the good folks in management fingers off nor did they break their legs when they got that management job. Then you get to go out and stress the floor nurse's out, ask them to do things you know you couldn't do yourself. Yes, take that management job, by all means.

HopefulRN7 · Mar 8, 2017

Seems like either someone's trolling or in a major conundrum...

if the latter:

If you're not happy with your situation then change it. I've been a floor nurse for years and have never dealt with that you've described. Surely there's better opportunity for you out there somewhere. Genuinely hope your work situation improves.