Being a nurse manager isn’t for everyone. It’s a tough job that can feel like you’re being pulled in half a dozen different directions. You need to be a friend and ally to the nurses working under your supervision, while still enforcing hospital rules and making sure things get done in an orderly fashion. But you also have your own team of hospital supervisors, administrators, and department managers to report to, which can put you in a complicated position where you have to an employee, supervisor, healthcare provider, and mediator all at once. As challenging as this role can be, some people thrive in this position. Here are five signs that your calling in life is to be a nurse manager.
You Love to Stay Organized and Informed
Running a staff of nurses means making sure that everything is where it’s supposed to be. If a nurse manager isn’t doing their job, a nurse might put a patient’s chart back in the wrong place, leave supplies scattered all over their desk, or miss an important step during a routine procedure. That’s why they need an organized nurse manager to enforce hospital rules and keep everything neat and tidy. If you have a habit of cleaning up after others and organizing different spaces in your spare time, you might make an effective nurse manager.
You Have a Nurturing Personality
A nurse manager needs to be more than just a supervisor to their nurses. They need to be there for them when the going gets tough. Nurses have a lot of responsibilities on their plate and working long hours can push them to a breaking point. In addition to keeping their staff in line, a nurse manager also needs to listen to their staff’s concerns, help them overcome certain obstacles, and voice their concerns to hospital management when an important issue needs to be addressed. If you’re always comforting your friends and family members when they’re down and encouraging them to do more, this might be the career for you.
You’re a People Pleaser
Nurse managers usually have people demanding things of them on all sides. Whether it’s an unruly patient, a stressed-out nurse, or a hospital administrator, a nurse manager’s work is never done. They are responsible for not just their own work, but also the work of their nurses and the care they deliver to their patients. If doing a favor for a complete stranger or helping out a friend gives you a rush of happiness, you might feel right at home as the king or queen of nurses.
You’re Flexible Enough to Go with the Flow
Things are always changing when you work in a fast-paced healthcare center like a hospital or an urgent care clinic. Patients are always coming and going, and someone’s life is always on the line. Being a nurse manager means remaining cool under fire. You need to be flexible enough to go with your changing environment without getting stressed out every time something doesn’t go your way. If you’re always the cool and collected one when you’re traveling or dealing with a stressful situation, there’s a good chance you belong in a pair of scrubs.
You Can Be Tough When Necessary
Sometimes a nurse manager just needs to crack the whip. They have lots of staff members and tasks to keep track of at any given moment. If someone falls behind or someone makes a mistake, the nurse manager needs to be tough enough to assign blame and prevent the situation from happening again. If you can be firm with your loved ones when they’re acting irresponsibly, the healthcare industry could always use another nurse manager.
If this sounds like you, maybe it’s time to start thinking about pursuing a career as a nurse manager!
