The Effects of a Bad Nurse Manager

The role of nursing manager continues to expand as the healthcare industry as a whole continues to evolve. From merely managing a staff of nurses to being involved in facility-wide committees, brokering relations between doctors and staff and negotiating scheduling and budgetary concerns, nursing managers play a crucial role in the structure of a nursing department. Therefore, the effects of a bad nurse manager can be widespread and affect the balance of the department as a whole.

Decreased Morale Among Staff

• One of the most important aspects of nursing is the ability to maintain high morale among extremely stressful conditions. After all, not only does dealing with infirmed individuals on a regular basis take its toll, but nurses must also deal with the bureaucracy that comes along with working in a healthcare facility. Add personality differences among staff to the mix and you see plummeting morale among a nursing staff. A bad nurse manager makes this problem worse, as her general incompetence or inability to work well with nursing staff add to the stress of the work environment.

Difficulty in Nurse Retention

• Nurse managers are key in nurse retention for any healthcare facility. Nurses who feel appreciated and backed by administration generally feel happier and more secure in their professional environment. A bad nurse manager may drive away quality nurses if she acts in a manner that is inappropriate for the work environment. These poor qualities might include a bad attitude, an unwillingness to work with nursing staff on scheduling or other immediate conflicts, an inability to follow through on promises, rudeness or any other unprofessional qualities. Good nurses are less likely to put up with this type of working environment and may instead choose to work elsewhere.

Decreased Quality of Patient Care

• Overall, a bad nurse manager causes a ripple effect among staff that likely trickles down to patient care. When nurses are under duress in their professional environment, they are less likely to put their best effort into dealing with patients. If they don't have the tools they need--either physically or mentally--to do their job, nurses tend to get burned out much quicker, which leads to a decline in patient care. This may mean less time spent actually listening to patient concerns, a lackadaisical attitude in dealing with challenging patient cases and an unwillingness to properly address their full patient load. A bad nurse manager can be the cause if she is unwilling to listen to and address the concerns of her nursing staff and offer assistance in any way necessary.