Your advice unit managers

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Specializes in lots of different areas.

I need your advice! I'm getting ready to leave my present facility, I work days, 8 hr shifts, every other weekend as a staff nurse. My company IS NOT good at giving time off, earning PTO. I have had 9 mos med/surg experience and 1 year in a MD office as an LPN. I've been an RN for a year and a half.

My first interview next week is for a new (and very nice) LTC for unit manager in the town I live. Prob M-F no weekends or holidays.

The second is in a hospital 45 minutes away for ICU, 12 hour shifts, maybe even night shifts. I know I'm going to wait and see what each has to offer, but I REALLY want to work ICU, but the hours and convenience of the unit manager would be wonderful for me and my family. Married with 3 young kids, two of which are in grade school and tons of sports...

Would I still be able to do ICU in a few years after I've been in management for a few years? I quit med/surg 7 months ago because it wasn't a good fit and worry about not learning enough, wanting gain more clinical skills. I'm done and over with the floor nurse thing in LTC!

Thanks

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Specializes in multispecialty ICU, SICU including CV.

I work in an ICU. It is a great place to learn how to advance your skills, so that's my bias. I think after you learn your new clinical stuff, if you want to try management, go for it.

However, be wary of a manager position in a LTC. My sister-in-law is a DON in a small LTC and she carries a beeper 24/7. If nurses call in sick, she has to cover. Yeah, the M-F no weekends no holidays looks good on paper, but a lot of LTCs make their managers pick up the slack when there is a staffing problem, never mind a clinical problem. Be sure you get in writing what the job description and responsibilities are before you agree to anything.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Agree with Miss Becky. I did the UM thing, lasted 6 months and only that long because I wanted to get all of my hire on bonus.

I was told M-F, would be mgr coverage for the weekend once every other month and one holiday coverage per year. What really happened was M-F, 8am to whenever. If the evening shift was short and they could not get any coverage, guess who was told at the last minute to stay? And that weekend manager? If there were call ins or no shows, it was up to the manager on call to plug the holes. I have worked back to back 16 hour shifts, covered the noc shift and was expected to be on for my normal scheduled time too.

The final straw was when we had a huge meeting working on reviewing charts prior to our state inspection and I was told to go pick up my child and return to work with her and let her play in the lobby. The receptionist was directed to watch our children. I loved it when the receptionist got busy and our children (including my normally well behaved 7 year old) turned on the water cooler and flooded the lobby. The ED was mad and sent us home. I did my daughter that she really should not have done that, but no punishment, LOL!

If it was me, honestly, I would look hard at the ICU. That clinical experience is invaluable. You can always transition to management from there, but in my experience it is more difficult to go into a clinical position with little clinical background and a heavier mgmt background.

Just my &0.02

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Specializes in lots of different areas.

Wonderful stories...my heart is also telling me to go to ICU! I'm hungry for knowledge and LTC isn't giving it to me..

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I am a unit manager and while we are better staffed than that it is NOT the place to get clinical experience. Were I younger and with more energy I would definitely suck it up and pull NOCS in an ICU.

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Specializes in lots of different areas.

Wonderful stories...my heart is also telling me to go to ICU! I'm hungry for knowledge and LTC isn't giving it to me..

haha, sorry this was a double post. I'm tired!

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Do the ICU.

I've been in LTC and I love it BUT..if things were different and it was a few yrs ago...I would choose the ICU.

LTCs are run so much different than a hospital and boy..this can lead to another post.

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