wrong job or wrong career???

whitebunny · Nov 19, 2010

during my RN years i learned from being too nice & soft to thick skin. I had nice instructors who really wanted me to be successful in the future, i also had instructors who literally bullied me in front of patients and tried to fail me every single day. I had classmates who really supported me and helped me to mature at the age of 18-22, I had classmates who really bullied me and made fun of me in front of everybody although i didnt know at the time, until one classmates passed the massage on to me. I had patients who really loved me and I had patients who literally has 0 respect for students. I had managers who were extremely supportive and under her training I grow; I had managers and educational nurse who said no support for u and u needed to be hands on in 2 days---too bad, i was not able to be on my own after 2 days orientation as a third year nursing student at that time

from all my past years of growing, i see nurses who wanted to support students, and nurses who literally stabs students. I see bad and good all the time, i go through fail and success all the time. I had interviews that managers hire me, i had interviews that managers didnt hire me.

If i fail, i try again; if i success, i try to maintain it, being careful everyday. On a really bad day, reflect from it, learn from it, continue.

at the end, i look at everything peacefully, no too up no too down. I dont exaggerate a DOWN i dont exaggerate an UP, although im only 23, but i think im ready, mentally.

After got my RN licence, i came up with a conclusion: skills are only 50%， the rest, how to deal with people. I think you are fine with your job, but you need to learn to be thick skin, assertive, and know how to deal with ppl around (coworkers, RNs, managers, etc). Each of them is individual, so different strageties and tactiles should be used.

RevolutioN2013 · Nov 19, 2010

Being a manager is a new experience. I have managed people for 17 years and am making a life-change to go into nursing. I believe that most people do WANT to do a good job and that if they aren't doing so that a good percentage of that failure is related to lack of training, lack of communication and understanding of duties, and the remainder is related to a wrong person fit into the wrong job. Paramount within your structure is Federal law which is hand in hand with state law. Next are the policies of your facility. Your people need to understand that these three sets of rules are absolute and not to be trifled with. It's for the protection of the patients you serve and for you and your people as well that you follow these. Within that framework lies your ability to lead your staff and even though it may sound like a narrow path to walk you probably actually do have a good bit of latitude. You need to decide if you are going to be the type of manager who wants everything done their way to a tee or the kind of manager who wants her staff to do some things their own way. If you feel that the former is a better choice then it is up to you to provide the following: 1. Clear instruction that you expect things to be done exactly as you have said, 2. That failure to do so will result in disciplinary action, and 3. CLEAR communication of exactly what you expect, 4. The training on how to do what you want. A lot of employee resentment comes when the staff feel that they are being asked to do more than they know how to do or have time to do and that management doesn't care. From what I understand healthcare is rarely "generously staffed" and everyone feels stressed and worried about meeting needs. In this type of scenario I actually think you are better off employing a team approach to management. Have brief meetings with your people, stay in touch, ask them if they have what they need to do their jobs, ask them what problems they have brewing. You then help them work through how to solve the problems they're having. Don't do it for them, but help them think through it and then act as their advocate when it is the right thing to do. If you have good people and you prove that you will be good to them, then they will be good to you. Understand that being good to them does NOT mean being a door-mat. Expect a lot of your people, but make sure they know that you will make sure that you will, to the best of your ability, make sure they have what they need to do their jobs. It sounds like if you can figure out the management aspect of this thing that you'll be doing great! FYI, it is VERY difficult to be a working manager sometimes because you not only have to do your own workload, but you have to make sure others are doing theirs as well. I have always minimized the problems that come with this kind of staffing model by making sure that I hire people who complement my personality (people who work hard and don't need a lot of guidance once they are trained). You may not be able to hire your own people and may be stuck with who you have, but you can show in many subtle ways that you are the boss and that those who work FOR you will be rewarded and those that are a pain in your tukas will find it difficult going. Also, read some management books when you have a minute - it really helps! Good luck!!!

doune · Nov 19, 2010

thanks whitebunny for the encouragement, i learn something from it. i like that statement "if i fail, i try again; if i succeed, i try to maintain it, being careful everyday.