Nurse Manager's Survival Guide: Practical Answers to Everyday Problems

This clear, concise, “hands-on” guide provides practical, realistic advice to nurse managers who have had little or no management training. Application-oriented, it eases the transition from staff nurse to staff manager with useful tips and specific guidelines that are helpful to both new and experienced nurse managers. Updated to provide the most current health care management information available, the 3rd edition of this handbook offers a new chapter on recruitment and retention, new content on managing in community settings, and new discussions on health care legislation ― including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

• Realistic, practical guidance is provided on the basics of successful management in nursing.
• Content is ideal for use as a quick reference for the more experienced nurse manager who needs assistance with a particular management problem.
• A "hands-on," user-friendly writing style empowers nurse managers.
• All major areas of management are covered, including communication, budgeting, time management, day-to-day operations, decision making, negotiation, and legal issues.
• Manager's Tip boxes highlight key practical strategies in a succinct format.
• For Further Reading lists offer sources of information for additional study.
• Lists, summaries, boxes, and tables highlight essential information and facilitate quick reference.
• Coverage of case management and the nurse manager's role in working in a managed care environment is integrated throughout.
• Guidelines are included for the nurse manager on how to handle personal stress, as well as employee stress.
• Discussions are integrated throughout on continuous quality improvement (CQI) as an integral part of all management functions and day-to-day operations.
• Practical career management advice includes assessing current job satisfaction, as well as interviewing and negotiating for a new position.

• Updated content includes new and current information on health care legislation, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• A new chapter on recruitment and retention of staff focuses on the nurse manager's role in this area, as organizations become more decentralized during the severe nursing shortage.
• The home care and hospice chapter has been revised to include managing in community settings ― including nursing homes, long-term care, ambulatory centers, and other community-based settings ― to emphasize the movement of many health care services to settings within a community.
• Questions for Consideration are presented at the end of each chapter to serve as a review of the most important concepts in the chapter.

Tina M. Marrelli, MSN, MA, RN, C, Health Care Consultant, Boca Grande, FL