Went back into nursing management but hate it still, what to do?

[tobetheone]

I had recently left a nursing management role and went back to bedside to reconsider my career goals and if I should just stay in bedside until retirement if no other opportunities arise. During that one year of bedside I realized I was not happy going back to bedside. The long 12hr shifts, work every other weekends and holidays and working night shift. I have a graduate degree and realized if I stayed bedside, I would be under utilizing my qualifications and skills and limiting my income potential. With no other avenues available to me a nursing management role had opened up and I decidedly to give it another try. Unfortunately the problems that I had encountered in my previous management role, I encountered with this new company and the challenges are even worse then the previous employer. The challenges are 1) working in a union environment presents unique challenges. It creates an adversarial environment between management and staff. I hear the nurses bickering all the time about they want this person fired. 2) you try to do the right thing and it backfires. If you try to help the staff on the floor they say you shouldn't be helping and they will report you to the union rep. 3) rewards lazy /incompetent nurses. Based on the union contract, all the nurses get the same pay raises and benefits. Theirs no incentive based on merits. So you can be a lazy nurse, and a hard working nurse and will get the same pay. So there's no reason to try or work harder. 4) more frequent call outs. Since nurses are protected to call in sick for a certain amount of time per year, people who call out frequently generally can't get in trouble because of the union contract as long as they don't go over their sick time. I did bedside and know ver well not everyone who calls out is actually sick. I would even hear the nurses say in front of others they plan to call out sick tomorrow because they have to catch a flight to their destination. I really enjoyed working in a non labor environment as a staff nurse but having moved to this god awful state, all the hospitals are unionized for staff. I felt if I could be a manager in a non union environment things would be a lot better for me but unfortunately that option doesn't exist. There are many more reasons I didn't jot down but I'm beginning to think that's the nature of the business. I know I'm a great leader but when staff report you and don't listen to you because they feel protected then I simply don't know how anyone can lead them. There's such a high turnover rate in nursing leadership that maybe it's best for unions to lead themselves and not have management as a role. Should I go back again to beside? What other options do I have?

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Maybe you will like working bedside in a union hospital. 

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

OK...I take it you are not pro-union. I do find it hard to believe there are zero options for leadership roles in non-union facilities. Even if every hospital in the area is a union shop, there are plenty of health care roles outside of hospitals. Are you considering looking outside the hospital setting? 

[londonflo]

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 I have a graduate degree and realized if I stayed bedside, I would be under utilizing my qualifications and skills and limiting my income potential. With no other avenues available to me a nursing management role had opened up and I decidedly to give it another try.

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. Unfortunately the problems that I had encountered in my previous management role, I encountered with this new company 

Please, anybody, don't suggest the OP TEACH. 

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

Even in non-union hospitals you still are going to have the same issues.  Call-outs occur everywhere and not just in Union hospitals.  Staff are allowed to call out sick, they are allowed to use their time.  If there are frequent patterns, then that is different, however, PTO is PTO.  Just because staff discuss when they want to call out does not always mean they will. Staff may really need a mental health sick day, especially because working beside is hard work and can be very taxing physically and mentally. 

You just need to broaden your search and may need to consider expanding your region to look for those non-union places.. Just know call outs, will occur everywhere.