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How to Say No to the Head Nurse
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Working as a nurse can be very taxing at times. You’ll have to deal with senior nurses, matrons, doctors and other medical staff, some of whom may outrank you. Sometimes, you may face unreasonable demands from your head nurse. Saying No to unreasonable demands on time and efforts is a tough job, given the criticality of a health care center environment.
This situation is compounded if you are a new and inexperienced nurse; confusion and frustration rule the day while dealing with your head nurse’s constant demands. In this article, we tell you how to deal confidently with different personality types and how to say No and mean it.
Why it’s Hard to Say NO to Your Head Nurse
It’s tough to say No in any kind of society; people don’t like rejections and therefore find it tough to dish out rejection to others. Firstly, people experience guilt when they are forced to turn people down. This guilt turns into resentment towards the person(s) requesting favors. The second part is that most people enjoy the feeling of being wanted and needed; this is why we find it tough to say No to invitations, and requests for help. The third reason is that people say Yes to avoid potential confrontations and the contest of wills that may or may not result from rejection. Some people are taught never to say No, since saying No is considered selfish and uncooperative by most societies.
2011 RN Salary Projections
In 2010 RNs can expect to see their salaries, and other benefits, grow. More employers are offering sweet incentives such as sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, and more flexible hours in order to entice nurses to work in their facilities.
Your Head Nurse’s Responsibilities
If you are a regular nurse in any health care setup, you’ll have to report to a head nurse who’ll be in charge of you and your assignments. Your head nurse will be responsible for nurse retention, assignments, rotation, overall patient satisfaction and reporting to management.
Your head nurse has, therefore, quite a few responsibilities over and above your own. Sometimes your head nurse may push harder on you and try to extract more work. Given the enormous nursing shortage in hospitals these days, head nurses are expected to achieve best results given their staff numbers.
