Orientation program for new nurse managers - Essay Example

Orientation program for new nurse managers of submitter to be submitted This guide was made for new incoming nurse managers in order to properly set expectations on what they are expected to do and accomplish through out their tenure at the hospital. This program was made from the feed back of 2 nurse managers of different lengths of tenure in order to get a proper, non biased and objective feedback from the similarities of both their interviews. By the end of this program, the new nurse managers are expected to get a good understanding of their duties and daily responsibilities. Orientation program for new nurse managers Management as defined by Merriam and Webster is “: The act or art of managing: the conducting or supervising of something (as a business)”. From this definition we can see that the basics of what our new nurse managers duties might sound simple. They are tasked with the stewardship of one of our hospitals departments. But this is a job that not everyone is capable of doing. Our managers are chosen based on a specific skill set and talent. This means that the jobs that they will be doing will require a specific touch that as we have seen, only they are able to provide. This program is designed to prepare our new nurse managers and set their expectations of the duties they will be tasked with and the responsibilities they will have to meet. On that note, these are the topics that the program will be discussing: 1. Management overview 2. Effective Communication 3. Employee counseling and problem solving 4. Motivation 5. Team Building 6. Incentive management 7. Crisis Management 8. Introduction to Resource Management 9. Delegation of duties 10. Conclusion Management overview As a nurse manager, you will be tasked with several duties, and will be allocated certain resources and means of performing these duties. The main duty you are tasked with is heading your department and its resources, but as the need may arise, you may also be tasked with assisting the management in assessing and hiring new nurses for your department and, providing training and training materials for newly hired nurses. Effective communication As will communicating with patients, different employees respond to different types of communication. Some prefer direct communication and instruction while others respond better to subtitle instruction and motivation. Your job as a nurse manager is to understand the different needs of your subordinates and communicate with them effectively in order to boost productivity, increase morale, avoid conflict in the workplace and avoid demotivation. A paper by managementskillsadvisor.com states “effective communication in the workplace is an essential part of any organization.” This is a statement that our new managers must live by. Employee counseling and problem solving As with any managerial post. There will be times when your subordinates come across problems that need your expert advice, or they may need someone to speak with on a professional level. You are tasked with the first line of supervisory problem solving and employee communication and counseling. Depending on your managerial style, as well as the preferred communication style of the employee, you may want to follow an as-needed basis or, you may also want to do a regular, scheduled manager-subordinate performance review for counseling, as well as for problem solving. Your experience counts for a lot when being the first line of managers to assist with problem solving; having been in some of the situations your subordinates may go through. Your quick wit and good judgment are essential in these situations. Motivation “A motivated employee is a valuable asset which delivers immense value to the organization” according to http://www.masterstudies.net in their article, Employee Motivating in Private Organization. This is a statement that holds true, especially for our hospital. As you are well aware, the jobs your subordinates will be assigned to are not a walk in the park. These jobs require dedication, and motivation. There will be unavoidable situations where in your subordinates are demotivated for some reason, weather it is job related, co-worker related, or personal. These are that situations that need your input and guidance. Although the source of their demotivation must still be isolated, your immediate motivation is essential in maintaining an effective, hassle-free and conflict-free work zone. You must ensure that you isolate demotivated employees at some point and provide them insight in order to maintain their effectivity and avoid our patients being affected as well. Team Building You and your department are essentially a team and their team leader, and as with any team, weather in sports, music bands or otherwise, a good relationship and effective communication between the team and their team leader is important. The relationship between you and your “team members” will define how your “team” performs on a daily basis. This means that you as a “team leader” must promote good work relationships between your subordinates and with yourself. Ways in order to do this would include team building activities and team general assemblies, to get your team to work together in an out-of-work environment. Another thing you may want to try is to hold regular “town hall” meetings as outlets for your team to provide feedback and suggestions. Incentive management Aside from providing positive feedback to employees that have done exceptional jobs; above what is expected of them, another way to foster effectivity and promote a work environment that constantly aims for improvement, is to create your own incentive plan. As you will be given your own resources to manage and maintain on a regular basis, it is in your capability to create either a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly incentive plan for your subordinates who have performed well, based on your assessment, evaluation and feedback from patients and other metrics. This will ensure that they continue to strive for excellence in the workplace. Crisis Management Our work is unique and essential in the sense that we are in the custody of peoples lives, and there will be circumstances that require immediate attention form not just the nursing staff but from you, as their manager as well. These “crisis” situations should be expected in such an environment as ours and, your preparation for these situations is critical, not just for the institution, but in some situations, the lives of our patients as well. As mentioned in the early parts of this program, you were chosen based on certain traits and a skill set you posses, and one of these traits is being steadfast under fire. Your calm and experience-based decision making will be essential for your subordinates, the hospital and, in some cases, the patient. Introduction to Resource Management As mentioned In a previous part of this program, your department will be given its own resources and you, as the manager of this department will be tasked to ensure that these resources are well kept, allocated properly, and distributed so that they last the duration they were set for. You must be able to allocate these resources in such a way that there is something ready for multiple occasions and situations, including the above mentioned incentive plan. One way to do this is to look at previous months usages of resources and from there, plan how you will allocate your allotted resources. Delegation of duties The final part of this program is duty delegation. As a manager, you are tasked with assigning specific people for specific duties. Your assessment as to who should be assigned to what duty will come from your assessment of your subordinates. As you will be able to tell what they will be effective at based on their input and your own judgment, you will be tasked with assigning them their posts, and reassigning them if and when the need arises. Conclusion. Through the course of the program, we have provided you some insight and preparation on the duties that you as a nurse manager will be assigned to. These duties are essential to your department’s fluidity and effectivity. We are very much aware that you will be on top of all the duties assigned to you and that you along with your department will do an excellent job not only for our institution but for our patients and their families as well. References Management (2011) Merriam and Webster August 23, 2011, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management Effective Communication in the Workplace is Essential (2010) managementskillsadvisor.com, August 23, 2011, http://www.managementskillsadvisor.com/effective-communication-in-the-workplace.html Employee Motivating in Private Organization (2009/2010) masterstudies.net, August 23, 2011, http://www.masterstudies.net/media/pdf/MBA%20Proj/employee%20motivating%20in%20private%20organization.pdf Read More