Would you hire an ED director with no ER experience

Katnip, RN · May 16, 2006

No.

To elaborate. I honestly feel a person who is managing an area should know what it is they are managing. Each unit or area of a hospital is unique with different needs. Granted, it comes to the same type of scheduling and staffing problems, but I think a director needs to personally know and understand the unique stressors and problems the staff is up against.

Just MHO.

ckh23, BSN, RN · May 16, 2006

No.
To elaborate. I honestly feel a person who is managing an area should know what it is they are managing. Each unit or area of a hospital is unique with different needs. Granted, it comes to the same type of scheduling and staffing problems, but I think a director needs to personally know and understand the unique stressors and problems the staff is up against.
Just MHO.

I agree. A person that is going to be responsible for everything that goes on in an ER should know how it runs. I also think that this person should have ER experience to help the current staff and to better the department as a whole. The emergency department is like no other department in a hospital. Would you consider a person for an ICU director with no critical care experience?

hollydoll · May 16, 2006

If there was only one applicant for the job how long woud you wait to find a qualified apllicant b4 you gave it to someone who had no ER experience?

CritterLover, BSN, RN · May 16, 2006

would you hire an er director with no er nursing experience? why not? what if this person was the only apllicant for the job?

i would say yes.....if there was strong middle-managers (charge nurses, assistant managers) with strong er skills.

my reasoning: the "business" side of health care is one of the most difficult parts of being a manager for most nurses. you could have a really good er skills, and be a good charge nurse, but be terrible at budgeting, administrative meetings, etc. in fact, nurses with good administrative skills are few and far between, in my experience. so as long as the person with no er experience was strong in the administrative side of things, and had assistants with good technical skills, i think it might work. as long as the directer was willing to listen to the input of others.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 16, 2006

I honestly feel a person who is managing an area should know what it is they are managing. Each unit or area of a hospital is unique with different needs. Granted, it comes to the same type of scheduling and staffing problems, but I think a director needs to personally know and understand the unique stressors and problems the staff is up against.

I agree with this. It only makes sense to hire this way.

TazziRN, RN · May 16, 2006

Absolutely not. A manager has to know how her department works, to the point of being able to jump in if necessary. We have been without a manager since Feb, and the acute care director has been stepping in. She's going nuts because she's an ICU nurse, not ER, and the problems that our department have are completely foreign to her.

Trauma Columnist · May 16, 2006

ER is a place of its own. It takes a strong manager to run herd on the stronger personalities there - at least in my level one ER. lol Our current manager who has been in place for three months is wonderful - assertive, professional, friendly and truly knows her stuff. Its a pleasure to work with her.

West_Coast_Ken, BSN, RN · May 16, 2006

i would say yes.....if there was strong middle-managers (charge nurses, assistant managers) with strong er skills.
my reasoning: the "business" side of health care is one of the most difficult parts of being a manager for most nurses. you could have a really good er skills, and be a good charge nurse, but be terrible at budgeting, administrative meetings, etc. in fact, nurses with good administrative skills are few and far between, in my experience. so as long as the person with no er experience was strong in the administrative side of things, and had assistants with good technical skills, i think it might work. as long as the directer was willing to listen to the input of others.

i agree. most employees in a techincal/skill position feel they can not be understood or lead by someone who does not know their job. i've been there myself having worked in a highly specialized it position for many years and frankly i'll take a good manager with zero specialized skills long before i'd ever consider someone who knew my job well but wasn't as strong on the leadership side.

of course the best situation is to have someone who both knows the subject area and has good leadership skills, but those cats are very few and far between.

simply put, if you are looking for someone to do the er job, focus on their technical er skill set. if you are looking for someone to lead those who are doing the er job, look to their leadership and managerial skill set.

my 2¢

ken

firstaiddave907 · May 16, 2006

I agree. A person that is going to be responsible for everything that goes on in an ER should know how it runs. I also think that this person should have ER experience to help the current staff and to better the department as a whole. The emergency department is like no other department in a hospital. Would you consider a person for an ICU director with no critical care experience?

I agree with you made a very good point. I would want someone who is the most experenced for the job and if the acplicant even has any ER experence.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · May 17, 2006

In fact, nurses with good administrative skills are few and far between, in my experience. So as long as the person with no ER experience was strong in the administrative side of things, and had assistants with good technical skills, I think it might work. As long as the directer was willing to listen to the input of others.

Hello??!?!? Hey, over here! Oh, wait I am not a Nurse yet.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · May 17, 2006

I think others have weighed in enough on the first question you pose, but I am just wondering why there is an ER Director position out there that hasn't attracted even one application from an ER nurse. What methods are you using for advertising the opening?