Huston_Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing,

Chapter 16 Educating and Socializing Staff in a Learning Organization

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Frequently, a new manager will be appointed to a vacant or newly established position. In either case, no one will be readily available to orient the new manager. In such cases, the new manager’s immediate superior should appoint someone to assist the new manager in learning the role. This could be a manager from another unit, the manager’s supervisor, or someone from the unit who is familiar with the manager’s duties and roles. A new manager’s orientation does not cease after the short introduction to the various tasks. Every new manager needs guidance, direction, and continued orientation and develop ment during the first year in this new role. This direction comes from several sources in the organization: • The new manager’s immediate superior . This could be the unit supervisor if the new manager is a charge nurse, or it could be the chief nursing executive if the new manager is a unit supervisor. The immediate superior should have regularly scheduled sessions with the new manager to continue the ongoing orientation process. • A group of the new manager’s peers . There should be a management group in the organi zation with which the new manager can consult. The new manager should be encouraged to use the group as a resource. • A mentor . If someone in the organization decides to mentor the new manager, it will undoubtedly benefit the organization. Although mentors cannot be assigned, the organi zation can encourage experienced managers to seek out individuals to mentor. Mentoring is discussed further later in this chapter. Clinical nurses who have recently assumed management roles often experience role con fusion when they decrease their involvement with direct patient care. When employees and physicians see a nurse-manager assuming the role of caregiver, they often make disparaging remarks such as “Oh, you’re working as a real nurse today.” This tends to reinforce the nurse’s value conflict in the new role. Nurses moving into positions of increased responsibility also experience role stress created by role ambiguity and role overload. Role ambiguity describes the stress that occurs when job expectations are unclear. Role overload , often a major stress for nurse-managers, occurs when the demands of the role are excessive. In addition, as nurses move into positions with increased status, their job descriptions may become more general. Therefore, clarifying job roles becomes an important tool in the resocialization process. Socializing International Nurses One solution to nursing shortages has been the active recruitment of nurses from other countries. Huston (2023c) argues that the ethical obligation to the foreign nurse does not end with their arrival in a new country. Instead, the sponsoring country must do whatever it can to see that the migrant nurse is assimilated into the new work environment as well as the new culture. For example, language skills are often a significant issue for foreign nurses, and this is made even more challenging with American slang and the abbreviations that are a common part of nursing. Differing interpretations of nonverbal behavior may further cloud the picture. In addition, foreign-born nurses may find it difficult to fit into a unit’s organization culture and thus fail to establish a sense of community life within the organization. Finally, many foreign nurses experience cultural, professional, and psychological dissonance that are associated with anxiety, homesickness, and isolation.

Clarifying Role Expectations Through Role Models, Preceptors, Mentors, and Coaches

One additional strategy for promoting both socialization and resocialization as well as the clarification of role expectations is the use of role models, preceptors, mentors, and coaches.