As a nurse for 19 years in Memphis areas hospitals and a local children's ER, I have seen many events that go unrecognized, and unacknowledged.
As managers sit in their office looking at computers and manuals, and attend meetings, I believe they have forgotten the reason they became a nurse, so here is a refresher.
The unit nurses are the ones who ultimately do the work, take care of the patients and are the ones that the public look up to, Who the public look to in time of need and despair. WE are the ones that hold the hand of a scared child who is alone, of a crying child during painful procedures, who calm the parents down when they arrive not knowing if their child is alive. WE are the ones who offer our hands, our shoulder to cry on and our knowledge to them. WE are the ones who go in the room with the physician to tell the family that their child may not live. WE are the ones who are there in their most dreadful moments to somehow ease the pain of death and dying. WE are the ones who administer the pain medication, when bones are fractured, when stomachs ache, and when sickle cell disease is out of control. WE are the ones that get coughed on, sneezed on and vomited on. WE are the ones that gets handed a "blue" Baby with the mom screaming "she's not breathing". WE are the ones who laugh, cry and pray with the family. WE are the ones that are expected after one trauma is over to immediately go out and care for the others, with no time for ourselves. WE are the ones who work short staffed, with no lunch breaks and faulty equipment. WE are the ones who take money out of our pockets to give a family christmas presents who just lost everything in a fire, no matter how the fire happened. We are the ones that continue to work a code when our baldders are about to explode, to hold ourselves together when a child dies, or is a victim of sexual abuse, as we question God why this happened. WE are the ones humbled. We are the ones that carry out the mission, the ethics and moral attitude of the nursing profession.
Then when our day is over we go home to our families and thank God that they are alright. WE are the ones that put our families second only to the patients we care for. WE are the ones haunted by our dreams. We seek no professional help in dealing with the multiple traumas. WE are a strong team. WE are the united front. WE are the ones who make the difference in this community. With all of this We are the ones who choose to work each day. WE are the ones whose blood sweat and tears are wrapped up in the department. WE are the ones who work for little money,, because our reward will come in heaven.
This happens every day in every department in every city. Managers cannot see this because they are not there. How are mangers going to evaluate us, if they cannot see us?
So as a manger have you failed your staff, failed the community and failed your nursing ethic for not really seeing who WE are?
As you sit in your office do not forget the ones in which you work for. Yes, youo work for us, not against us, not above us, for us. For us to be able to make that difference, for us to be able to come to work each day.
Mangers will never find a perfect nurse, and WE will never find a perfect manager. There is a happy medium. WE will be late, WE will call in, and WE may not get every piece of paper signed, but WE are the united front, WE are the ones who make the unit run. WE are the ones who make the difference.
I am an LPN. I am a vital part of the united front. I make a difference.
I invite any and all LPN's in Tennessee area to join me as I head up the Tennessee Chapter of the NFLPN.
I want our voices to be heard. I wnat to change the attiudes and open the eyes of some of the mangers who fall into this category.
Our profession is strong and I plan to make it stronger.
Feel free to post here or private message me.
Kathryn LPN
edited out real name/email address for TOS compliance/security
the national federation of licensed practical nurses, inc. (nflpn) is the professional organization for licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses and practical/vocational nursing students in the united states.
founded by practical nurse educators in 1941, napnes is the world's oldest nursing organization dedicated exclusively to promotion of quality nursing...
in the facilities on the honor roll of newsweek and that hold top 30 rankings.
the manager (and her affiliates) were seen regularly and on floor, stocked med rooms, knew many patients and their families by name, took care of patients at times, admitting them, checking orders, calling mds that were a problem. they occasionally worked weekends. admittedly, not all the time, but often enough to know the environment, the problems and the postive traits. in one highly ranked teaching facility, the manager worked a 3-11, as a floor nurse, taking the same assignment as anyone else without stinting, every two to three weeks.
in the nonranked hospitals, the manager wore pumps and pearls, never mussed her nails, and rarely set foot on the floor after 2000 at night, before 0800 in the morning, or wekends/holidays unless forced.
just an observation.
caroladybelle......this is exactly what i am talking about.....very very well put. if a manager does not actively know (by participation) how her unit nurses pratice,their concerns , the conditions that are inhibiting their pratice, and which are her stronger nurses...then how the heck can she claim to be a "excellent manager"???/he/she is pretty much clueless.i dont think any experienced nurse wants a manager out there picking "fights" with upper management.......they do want someone who is a voice for them though.....a well informed voice.the pumps and pearls nurse manager you speak of....is worthless.he/she would be much better off just managing a departmnet store ...they could manage the budget there and it would /might be ok to never interact with the staff...or ever to visit with the patrons. it would be a much better situation for them.bc as a nurse manager in pumps and pearls.....i am sorry if it offends anyone......but they are worthless.they have no idea what their nurses need, how to represent them, and their skill set is probably 99% shot from all the years they have gone thru many a set of pumps and pearls!so this survey you speak of...sounds like the epitomy of my opinion too.!!!!
are their excellent managers out there? you bet ya!!!1they are proactive with their nurses and yes are seen after 8 pm and yes on weekends....and yes they actually occassionaly either work as a staff nurse/help out occassionally with new admits/codes/ etc etc...but the bottom line is....they stay in touch with their nurses by setting an example and staying current both in their pratice and skills......and are proactive in their time and available to all shifts.i had a urse manager not so long ago that had no idea i worked weekends only ( even though id been there for going on 2 years)...or even who i was."those" type managers never get their units respect....bc they never touch a patient...dont stay in realistic touch with their nurses and ...to be honest they dont deserve respect.they should be managing a "target", cvs pharmacy etc etc.
I am an LPN & Have been for over 30yrs! What you say is so true Hon but the fact is that the RN'S rule & they always will at least here in Ohio.They are hiring only RN's in our area hospitals,leaving no positions for the LPN other than long-term care.We as LPN's were able to have unit managers positons in long-term care now they are want RN's for those positions as well.Maybe it is differnt in your state.I wish you all the success with this & am anxious to see what happens.May God bless you.
Yes! of course you are right . Excellent write up you've made.I had similar experience and thought about these nurse managers as well.Some of them are actually very effective eg helping when needed and very observant and attentive ;whereas a lot of them depend and get their information from their favourable nurses ,nurse aid or health techs on whaterver is going on, on the unit.This create room for lies and unheathy write-ups mostly to the new nurses on the unit that are still trying to gain their ground.Nobody is perfect,but as a result of this deficient managament style, good nurses are often overlooked like the ones you described in your message and sometimes fired for their good deed because the manager got wrong opinion/ information.In everyway the hospital will not only loose a good nurse and the money for training him/her but the nurse will suffer some kind of emotional damage as well.The question is,are these managers aware of all these problems? I will say yes. The hospital takes yearly /biyearly surveys on how to improve on things.I think it is personally up to whoever is the manager and the level of accountability attached to the position otherwise some of them think they are infallable.
Specializes in CC, ED, L&D, CDE, Education, Advice.
Dear NurseKata:
As an RN for 28 years, who has been in the ED, ICU, CCU, Med-SURG/ Clinics/ Advice, Education and Management, I think you should be aware that most managers have been on the frontline.
I will grant you that some managers are so far removed from having been in a ministering position at the bdeside that they forget what is really important. But this happens at the bedside as well. We all know OJR's [on the job retirees] who are just there for a pay check and really are either burned out or never really had a nurse's heart.
Most nurse managers care deeply about patients and want them to receive the highest quality of care. Becoming a nurse manager does not translate to having given up one's ethics, compromised one's values or ceasing to be a caring nurse. In fact a manager often has a greater impact because decisions a manager makes, and the causes the manager advocates for, can have huge short and long term impact on patient care and team effectiveness.
Managers must spend time "on computers" making sure staffing needs are met [sometimes very creatively] in order to meet patient care needs, and trying to stay within budget so that you can get paid and needed equipment can be bought. Some of those meetings the manager is away at are important so he/she can be advocating for you, your co-workers and the patient.
While it is important for managers to be as visible as possible, it is also important that they are where they need to be to advocate for your patient and for the staff.
"Walk a mile in my shoes" might be in order on both sides of this issue.
Managers also often go unrecognized and unacknowledged.
Many managers would rather be doing the hand-holding, calming, educating, consoling, crying, rescuing and caring, but their work frees you up to do much of that in their place.
Managers often hear only about what is going wrong and are not patted on the back for the good they do. Perhaps your manager's have not been good role models and you have had a negative experience.
Just as it takes two to make a good marriage, it takes dedicated caring managers and a team of dedicated frontline staff to provide the best care.
If our profession is to remain strong everyone who has a positive contribution to meeting the needs of patients should be recognized and appreciated.
Specializes in NICU, L&D, OB, Home Health, Management.
i've read this thread with interest (i'm a manager - for 1 year now) and have to say that treesawrn put most things in perspective. i took the management job because our unit had been without one for 6-7 months and you could see the effect of having no one to 'fight our battles' on a management level. i was forced to decide if i was going to be part of the problem or part of the solution; so . . . i'm the manager.
i spend many days crying on my way home from work because i couldn't convince admin to do/buy something we need or because one of the staff nurses (used to be my peers) have done or said something that really hurt. i would give up this job in a minute and go back to the bedside where at least sometimes you have the satisfaction of a job well done, it seems like mine never is. i get out on the floor as much as possible, but must spend time working on a presentation to the budget committee for new equipment or meeting with other managers to deal with staffing/patient load/etc or talking with a family member or patient to smooth ruffled feathers or explain a medical situation, etc.
i do like my job, i can see that i have made a difference, that keeps me going. please remember that gaspasser is right - i got no training for this role and i know i've screwed up several times. (i worked christmas day 7-7 because i gave too many people vacation). but i try and if any of my staff has a complaint, concern or problem i'm willing to listen.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I have a lot of empathy for mid-level managers. I have no desire whatsoever to put myself in that position anytime soon. My sister gave up a very well-paid upper-mid-level mgt position due to her inability to stomach the games she had to play to make everyone happy. It was not worth the stress for her---she took another job, roughly half the pay and is immeasureably happier. Managers are caught between a "rock and hard place" most of the time----too much headache for too little reward for me.
yes! of course you are right . excellent write up you've made.i had similar experience and thought about these nurse managers as well.some of them are actually very effective eg helping when needed and very observant and attentive ;whereas a lot of them depend and get their information from their favourable nurses ,nurse aid or health techs on whaterver is going on, on the unit.this create room for lies and unheathy write-ups mostly to the new nurses on the unit that are still trying to gain their ground.nobody is perfect,but as a result of this deficient managament style, good nurses are often overlooked like the ones you described in your message and sometimes fired for their good deed because the manager got wrong opinion/ information.in everyway the hospital will not only loose a good nurse and the money for training him/her but the nurse will suffer some kind of emotional damage as well. [/b]
starclub.....this is exactly what i mean. i dont think any experienced nurse wants to be evalauted by what a potentially low performer coowrker has to say about them....as they run to the pumps and pearls nurse manager types. lpn's...rn's....nurse managers etc etc .....there are some great ones out there who are highly skilled and very strong team players......then there are some....who should have chosen another profession,....its like comparing my old nurse manager to my current one. there is no comparison.
Wow , that was an eye opener !, And here I was thinking it just happened here in Australia !!!
I worked for 10 years in Emergency theatre , in a city hospital , an area I loved , but eventually had to admit , that at my age ,(59), I was getting past driving the round trip of 160 kilometers a day , just to be working where i loved it ! I now work in a nursing home ,in the country , a brand new facility , (Just 3 months old ) it should be wonderful , the environment is there , The "residents " are mostly lovely, & we can all " let off steam" , about the ones who arent .I have a friend , in the management side of the establishment , she is lovely & I know her heart is in her job,but at present , she is NOT in charge , so all her best efforts are not recognized ...Attempts are made , to meet with management, and try to negotiate , the Quagmire , that is "Change"........but the "Old Guard " , are insulated and unapproachable , or just plain dismissive , of any constructive suggestion !.........Where do we find a common ground ?Most of our concerns , end up on the "cutting room floor" so to speak , ...and any perceived weakness on our behalf , makes us feel , that management thinks, if you cant stand the heat ...get out of the kitchen !...So where do we go from here ?......
Wow , that was an eye opener !, And here I was thinking it just happened here in Australia !!!
I worked for 10 years in Emergency theatre , in a city hospital , an area I loved , but eventually had to admit , that at my age ,(59), I was getting past driving the round trip of 160 kilometers a day , just to be working where i loved it ! I now work in a nursing home ,in the country , a brand new facility , (Just 3 months old ) it should be wonderful , the environment is there , The "residents " are mostly lovely, & we can all " let off steam" , about the ones who arent .I have a friend , in the management side of the establishment , she is lovely & I know her heart is in her job,but at present , she is NOT in charge , so all her best efforts are not recognized ...Attempts are made , to meet with management, and try to negotiate , the Quagmire , that is "Change"........but the "Old Guard " , are insulated and unapproachable , or just plain dismissive , of any constructive suggestion !.........Where do we find a common ground ?Most of our concerns , end up on the "cutting room floor" so to speak , ...and any perceived weakness on our behalf , makes us feel , that management thinks, if you cant stand the heat ...get out of the kitchen !...So where do we go from here ?......
As manager she is probably aware in advance of when new admits are coming in.Have her plan to be "conviently" THERE when those admits arrive.What can be a huge benefit is her presence...if she can just do one or two peices of that admit paperwork ( or a simple task like that) it will begin to make her more credible in their eyes and perhaps.....they will become more receptive to her ideas. Another thing we do here in the US is to allow group input into changes.An example would be during your next staff meeting just have her throw out there a change that administration wants the nurses to make....and then say " Administration wants "x" change to be made immediately......but my thinking is since this is a task that affects your job....I think you guys should have some input into "HOW" we make the "x" change ....bc who else would know better how to resolve the problems that exist other than you guys"...then restate the problem...and ask for any ideas.Allow them some minimal input into how changes are made when available...and when she has to say "her hands are tied" on mandated changes...they will be far more likely to believe her and accept them.Even minimal things.....give them some power over how changes are made/come to be.They might suprise her!It might be that a task can be delegated to a carepartner to complete.
I totally agree with your post and frequently wonder why I got into management. As a staff nurse I had the honor of being with patients and their families during the best of time and worst of times. There was a satisfaction in that and I miss it every day. As a manager I need to remember to praise the wonderful star performers every day while not getting dragged down by those who under perform. I need to deal with those employees who bring the whole unit down. Getting rid of a toxic employee is not easy, and takes an emotional toal belive it or not. We are nurses too and are by nature caregivers, but now we need to care for the unit as a whole. Good employees don't want to confront these under performers so they complain to the manager, who then needs to deal with the problem. It is hard to find out what is the real story, is it a substance abuse problem, depression, or just plain laziness. How long do you try to mentor this employee before the whole unit suffers? What do you do about employees who never go to unit meetings, read the minutes or anything you put in their mailbox and then say they didn't know about the new policy that has been in effect for a year? How do you answer your director when there is a lawsuit for IV site that is 9 days old and infected because nobody bothered to change it? What do you say to the family whose family member was given an overdose because one of your nurses didn't use the safety devices in place to prevent med errors. How do you answer the questions when a patients ends up with a major bedsore, when you saw the staff spending plenty of time on meal breaks and talking at the nurses station. The workload is a problem, but so is the constant battle to hire more nurses. There isn't a magic closet to pull extra nurses out of when there are three sick calls. How are the rest of the staff supposed to feel when someone calls in "sick" after they have spent the last few days trying to get someone to work for them so they could go to a concert. Why is it the managers fault? Why doesn't the staff hold each other accountable? Why doesn't the staff tell the manager what is going on until after the fact but be upset that there isn't enough staffing? Dealing with the constant game playing and power struggles is enough to make you want to quit!!!! You all have worked with those types, the nurse who complains all day how busy she is and can't possibly take another patient but is the first one out the door at the end of the shift. The one who critizes everyone else about any little oversite but leaves a major mess behind. The one who plays the FMLA games. The one who's pager or phone always has a "dead battery" when you try to call them. The one who will never help out anyone else.
I'm sure this will be an unpopular post but until you walk in someone else's shoes hold some of the criticism. I know there are bad managers, believe me, but there are also bad employees.
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 19,176 Posts
not a union but a professional association: national federation of licensed practical nurses (nflpn), tennessee (tn) chapter
since 1949, nflpn has been advocating for lpn nursing practice
while napnes (national association of practical nursing education and standards) was promoting nursing education standards.
nflpn
the national federation of licensed practical nurses, inc. (nflpn) is the professional organization for licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses and practical/vocational nursing students in the united states.
napnes.org
founded by practical nurse educators in 1941, napnes is the world's oldest nursing organization dedicated exclusively to promotion of quality nursing ...
www.napnes.org
similar to rn's ana promoting nursing practice and nln education standards.