Running Head: ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE

Analyzing a Manager Role Emily Vance & Lisa Dust Ferris State University

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE Analyzing a Manager Role Observing how nurse managers effectively run their floors and units can help to create a basis for new managers to follow and learn efficient techniques to solving problems and initiating change. Through an interview with an oncology nurse manager, Carol Baker, we were able to gain insight into her thoughts and priorities that go into managing her three different units. Carol works at Munson Medical Center (MMC) in Traverse City, Michigan and has her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and additionally is certified nationally in oncology. She started as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) at MMC in 1983, became a registered nurse (RN) in 1986, then worked as a radiation oncology nurse for five years, and received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1999. Overall, Carol has had 30 years of experience in the health

care field and 15 of those years are managerial. Her current roles for a nurse manager include the three departments: outpatient infusion, oncology and cancer registry (C. Baker, personal communication, January 31, 2014). Job Duties Management can be taught and learned using traditional teaching techniques. Leadership, however, can also be taught but is usually a reflection of rich personal experiences (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 40). Carol demonstrates attributes of a leader and a manager as depicted by her previous employment history. She has had the experience of being a LPN, RN, and finally a nurse manager. Her job duties include: staffing- hiring and firing; communication- between each unit, staff, patients, and interdisciplinary; education; budget; and outreach-community. However, Carol states that her main job duty is to maintain the flow of her departments to ensure that they run smoothly.

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE

There are two individuals that Carol reports to, the Vice President (VP) of Nursing and an oncology Nurse Practitioner (NP). Coordinators in each of the three departments that she manages then report to her, as well as floor nurses and nurse aides (see Appendix A). Collaboration Role The health care field is constantly advancing and in order to keep everyone on the same page and maintain the fluidity of the programs; communication between individuals is crucial. Leaders are responsible for building organizations in which people continually expand their ability to understand complexity and to clarify and improve a shared vision of the future (Yoder-Wise, 2011, p. 40). Interdisciplinary collaboration includes communication with other departments to achieve the goals of her job, these departments include: pharmacy, oncology various offices, finance, cancer registry, human resources, education, community resources and outreach to surrounding towns. In order to keep the managers of other areas and nurses up to date on new procedures and protocols, they have a meeting every 2 weeks for 2 hours. Email allows for constant communication for any questions they may have. Before each new shift starts, there is a huddle for the staff to be made aware of the important subjects for the day. Legal/Ethical Issue Being the nurse manager of three departments, the main legal and ethical issues that they are dealing with at this time are patient safety, noise level, and end of shift reporting. These include reporting falls and medication errors. Patient safety is always a number one concern for Carols patients and organizations. Protocols have been implemented to follow if a fall does occur; however, there are incentives for the staff to decrease the number of falls through preventive methods. An example that Carol mentioned was meal vouchers for her units who went thirty days without incident.

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE Power and Influence In order to make a change on the three units she has, Carol does not need to check with her supervisor. Rather she can make any changes to enhance the flow of each unit, ultimately helping the departments to run smoothly. By having the work experience, Carol is able to know

what it is like to be an LPN and RN. This aids in her ability to relate to the staff and inform them about why she is doing the actions she is. Carol is very passionate about her job and ensures that she has hired the best individuals on her team to provide the highest quality of care to the patients and they support her. In todays competitive health care environment, administrators must recognise impact that nurse turnover has on the satisfaction and safety of nurses and other clinicians, the satisfaction and retention of health care customers, and customer perceptions of quality of care (Feather, 2014, p. 9). Decision-making and Problem-Solving When solving a problem on her units, Carol first starts by talking to the individuals involved. Ascertaining all the information first and the proceeding with a corrective action plan. Corrective action plans start with a verbal warning, then to a written warning, and finally disciplinary action which could lead up to and include suspension or termination. A nurse manager as a leader should be able to engage, enable, and energize their staff members (Cohen, 2014, p. 8). Through using this triple e concept, nurse managers can help to engage their staff members in the success of the unit which ultimately leads to improved care for the patient. Enabling staff means providing resources to them as well as being a resource for them to come to. And finally, energizing the staff allows work to be productive and promotes their well-being. Nurse managers must set the examples that they want their staff to follow and iterate how

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE important it is to take care of the nurse themselves, before taking care of patients (Cohen, 2014, p. 8). Management and Resolution of Conflict

In order to solve conflicts between staff and patients, the nurse manager must take time to listen to what the patient and the staff member have to say. Carol makes rounds with patients on her three departments to ensure that everything is going well or if more needs to be done. Another possible action is to switch the nurse out, sometimes it is not an error or argument that the patient has with the nurse, rather it can just be a difference in personalities. Nurse managers are an essential contributor to excellence in nursing practice, staff nurse engagement and patient satisfaction, and are responsible for creating and supporting an environment to develop staff nurses into leaders (Keys, 2014, p. 97). Conclusion A nursing manager does not always receive the credit that they deserve, however they are the cornerstone to the departments they manage. These nurses are the link between administration and the frontline workforce (Keys, 2014, p. 97). Without the hard working individuals, such as Carol, these units would not be as advanced. Nurse managers are the ones to implement the change and provide the support, education, and discipline to enable a healthy work environment that promotes longevity on the floor from the staff.

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE References

Cathcart, E. B. & Greenspan, M. (2013). The role of practical wisdom in nurse manager practice: why experience matters. Journal of Nursing Management, 21, 964-970. doi: 0.1111/jonm.12175 Cohen, S. (2014). Braving the new manager world 10 sure-fire steps to get you started. Nursing Management, January. 45(1), 8-9. doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000440637.48766.43 Feather, R. (2014). Tools assessing nurse manager behaviours and RN job satisfaction: a review of the literature. Journal of Nursing Management, 1-10. doi: 10.1111/jonm.12202 Keys, Y. (2014). Looking ahead to our next generation of nurse leaders: Generation X nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Management, 22, 97-105. doi: 10.1111/jonm.12198 Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2011). Leading and managing in nursing (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO.: Elsevier Mosby.

ANALYZING MANAGER ROLE Appendix A Organizational Chart

Vice President of Nursing (Jim Fisher) Oncology Nurse Practicioner (Crista Kessel) Oncology Nurse Manager (Carol Baker)

Output Infusion Coordinator

Oncology Coordinator

Cancer Registery Coordinator