Lisa Edmonds was the nurse manager of 2 East, your Oncology Unit, for ten years. Lisa was beloved by her staff and built a strong, cohesive and highly skilled team. She died three months ago after a very brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Her staff is still grieving but the unit has functioned well under an interim manager who does not want the position. You advertised the position both inside and outside the facility. There were few good candidates who applied with the exception of Marc Jacobs. Marc began his career on this unit after graduating from his BSN program four years ago. Marc achieved OCN certification and regularly takes charge on the night shift. He has recently begun a Masters program in nursing administration at the local university. Marc is 27 years old on a unit where the average age of the nurses is 49. He is a bright, shining star with a very outgoing personality. He is very ambitious about his future career plans which include becoming a Chief Nursing Officer. Marc definitely has potential but would need considerable mentorship which you are willing to provide.
Marc has undergone three panel interviews as part of the nurse manager selection process – one with the executive team, one with the other nurse managers and one with the unit staff. Both the executive team and the nurse manager interview team interviews went well. Marc handled the competency-based scenarios presented in a very professional manner and impressed both groups with his willingness to listen and learn. The interview with the unit staff did not go as well. The comments that came back on the feedback forms all basically said the same thing – “Marc is a great guy and very smart but he is just too young to be our manager. There are too many things that he can’t possibly understand about our needs because he is at a very different place in his life”.
As a CNO, you really value the opinions of your staff but feel conflicted in this situation. Marc is a great candidate with potential and you think you could provide him with the mentoring that he needs. At the same time, you don’t want to risk alienating the staff and setting Marc up for failure. You plan to meet with the staff interview panel to discuss their feedback.
- What questions will you ask them to gain more insight to their understanding of competencies needed to be a leader?
- Is age and years of experience important if the candidate has demonstrated competencies?
- If you did select Marc, what would you need to do set the stage for his success?
- What would Marc need to know about the feedback of the staff on his unit?
- There is no right or wrong answer here – but would you select Marc for the position? Explain your decision
- If it is your assessment that the Nurse Manager Role may not be the right one for Marc at this time- how would you present this to him?
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