MrNutt, i completely see where you’re coming from, but as a nurse who’s gone into management i feel i’m in a position to comment… the other guys on the forum have a massive point… being a manager is completely different to being a real nurse in so many ways.
my experience is only in the mental health side so i cant comment on general hospitals, but i think there’s different levels of management… rotas, ordering stock, managing front line staff, appraisals, supervision, hands on problem solving at a ward level… an experienced nurse can step up into that role providing they can get their head around a computer. (ward manager type job)
but managing other managers, big budgets, multiple teams and everything else involved in running parts of the nhs… i havent met many people at that level who find having been a nurse (or other professions within the nhs) that useful, being a manager is SO different from being a nurse.
in my humble experience (and it is humble compared to some of the other STW’ers experience in the nhs) is that i’ve worked with some incredible ward managers who have worked up from being a cleaner – nursing assistant – nurse – team leader – ward manager.
but also i’d agree with:
the bigger organisations get, the more complex institutions become, the more managers you need.
What it needs is lots of good managers, who manage well.
too many nurses are pushed into management as their only career opportunity without the adequate training or support.
Politicians to be honest and tell the public that they can’t have everything they want from the NHS – we simply can’t afford it.
its early, i hope that made sense in some way :S
