Career advice
First time in charge of a ward: the support every newly qualified nurse needs
Taking on ward manger duties is challenging. Here’s how to help junior team members succeed

COVID-19 has made ward manager duties even more challenging – and more likely for junior staff. Here’s how to help team members succeed
I remember my first day in charge of a ward as if it were yesterday, even though it was 30 years ago.
I had qualified four months earlier and was working on a 28-bed surgical ward. When I arrived for my shift, I was told that the ward sister was off sick and that I would be in charge and I would be fine.
A role that calls for experience and resilient leadership
But I didn’t feel fine; I felt anxious, out of my depth and desperate for the shift to be over. I was not
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