How to Excel as a Nurse Manager

If you are thinking about or have recently made the jump from floor, unit or team nurse to nurse manager, it’s not just a career move, it’s a philosophical one, too. As a nurse manager, you work, think and “do” differently because your success is based on the success of your staff.

With that “success” in mind, AllHealthCareJobs asked three nurse leaders their insights on being a good manager.

How do you develop and nurture talent?

Answer from Barbara Daly, PhD, FAAN, director of clinical ethics at University Hospitals of Cleveland and nursing professor at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in Cleveland, Ohio.

There is no substitute for spending individual time with each staff member. The key activity for professional development – just as with direct patient care – is assessment and formulation of a plan….

The plan needs to be discussed explicitly and the employee needs to feel that you are invested in him/her. This [individual investment] is a key component that differentiates “management” from “leadership.” Nurses, like all human beings, have very individualized goals, values and aspirations. Without getting to know the staff member, you cannot possibly spot talent and build on it. Even simple things like going to lunch together, joining a staff member for coffee and scheduling a 10–minute conversation about how things are going will yield great benefits.

How do you offer productive feedback for your nurses?

Answer from Barbara G. White, RN, MS, clinical associate professor, Arizona State University.

The key elements of feedback relate to how the person is performing compared to the published standards (usually a position description or list of skills and responsibilities), and whatever the specific individual wants and needs to know.

You can begin a feedback session by asking if the employee has any specific feedback requests. Alternatively, at the end of the session the manger can ask “What other feedback can I provide that would be helpful to you?”

Also, the most effective feedback might be to “catch the person doing something right” and let them know you noticed.

How do you acknowledge a colleague’s outstanding job?

Answer from Erin Cox MS, ACNS-BC, CCRN, clinical nurse specialist/vascular surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

It is very important that unit leadership celebrates individual and unit accomplishments. In addition to providing direct feedback to staff, at group meetings discuss improvements, accomplishments or positive experiences – such as having passed certification or having been recognized through a clinical recognition program – that have contributed greatly to the unit and to the patients. As leaders we often have to give critical feedback that might not always be positive, so it is vital to capitalize on those opportunities when you can.

Also, have staff-run quality forum discussions for those who are doing collaborative governance. This venue allows staff to really showcase their practice … and also gives them some public speaking skills, and helps them develop as future leaders.

Read Part 2, How to Excel as a Nurse Manager