Hardest job in Aged Care: Clinical Nurse Manager
* Not For Profit + Private Aged Care Providers Australia Wide
* Roles within large national providers as well as standalone homes
* Career pathways towards Facility Manager roles
Controversial opinion but many agree that the Clinical Nurse Manager role is THE toughest position in Aged Care.
Here are the top 5 reasons cited by Clinical Nurse Managers in Aged Care that I've compiled over the years, stating their case:
1. You're the shock absorber between management expectations, staff needs, and family demands.
2. You're carrying the weight of compliance on your shoulders while managing complex clinical acuity with hospital-level responsibilities but without hospital-level resources.
3. You're rostering at midnight, responding to families processing their guilt, and documenting meticulously because funding depends on it.
4. You're supervising, educating, and often covering shifts yourself when someone calls in sick.
5. You're constantly grieving as the cumulative weight of losing residents you've come to care for deeply, over and over again.
6. The toughest one to deal with: Your efforts go largely unseen.
At ACRE, We See You.
And more importantly, we know which employers see you too.As the founder of Aged Care Recruitment Experts and host of the Pioneers in Aged Care Podcast, I've spent years inside this industry.
I look past the job description and see the reality. And through countless conversations with leaders across the sector, I've identified which facilities do right by their CNMs.
We have partnered with the ones who:
* Provide genuine clinical governance support
* Invest in your professional development because they understand retention starts with respect
* Build rostering systems that don't assume you're available 24/7
* Create a culture where "budget constraints" doesn't mean "make do with nothing"
* Recognize that your well-being directly impacts resident care
* Understand that documentation support is essential infrastructure rather than a luxury
Of course, not every home has the ability to tick every box.
But there's a difference between acknowledgement of issues and indifference to issues.
If you're a Clinical Nurse Manager in Aged Care and want to know who's who in the zoo, send your CV through.
Tell me where you want to work and I'll at least point you in the right direction as to which ones will set you up for success.
Anthony Nguyen
Founding Director | Aged Care Recruitment Experts (ACRE)
Host | Pioneers in Aged Care Podcast
Co-Host | All Things Aged Care Weekly Live Stream
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If you haven't heard of the Pioneers in Aged Care Podcast, check out the episode list below for guests I've interviewed so far:
EP#1: Stephen Becsi, CEO of Apollo Care
EP#2: Emma Newman, Senior Ops Manager at MercyCare
EP#3: Tim Lo, Head of Training at Amana Living Training Institute
EP#4: Catherine Stoddart, CEO of Brightwater Care Group
EP#5: Hasan Shoeib, GM RAC & HomeCare at Amaroo Villages
EP#6: Aarav Kumar, CEO of KeenCare
EP#7: Paul Sadler, Principal at Paul Sadler Consultancy
EP#8: Richard de Haast, CEO of Scalabrini
EP#9: Sarah Saeedi, GM at Bolton Clarke
EP#10: Michael Mouyis, COO of Infinite Aged Care
EP#11: Kirrie Hall, Hospitality Manager at Juniper
EP#12: CEO of Global Talent Agency
EP#13: David Cox, CEO of Curtin Heritage Living
EP#14: Justin Chadwick, Director at NewDirection Care
EP#15: Nick Ryan, CEO of Lutheran Services Australia
EP#16: Nick McDonald, CEO of Prestige Inhome Care
EP#17: Nilesh Bansal, Founder of Aurelia Legal
EP#18: Chris Deed, Director of The PureFood Co
EP#19: Tara Chandrasegran, Regional Ops Manager VIC
EP#20: Julie Hogarth-Williams, CEO of The SeniorsChannel
EP#21: Frank Price, CEO of RFBI
EP#22: Phil Mackney, COO of BUPA Villages & Aged Care
EP#23: Dane Mitchell, MD of Optimum Allied Health
EP#24: Belinda Sutherland, GM Health & Well-being at Wesley Mission QLD
EP#25: Peter Williams, CEO of OneCare
EP#26: Jennie Hewitt, GM Research & Reablement at Whiddon
EP#27: Dr Tim Henwood, Founder & Principal of AgeFit Solutions
EP#28: Dr Rebecca Bilton, Director Program & Research at ARIIA
EP#29: Craig Carter, CIO of ACH Group
EP#30: Daniel Waldron, GM of Strategy & BI at Mercy Health
EP#31: George Margelis, Chief Technology Advisor at Ageing Australia
EP#32: Robert Covino, Founder & CEO of Mirus Australia
EP#33: David Martin, Executive Chef Manager at St Vincent's Care
EP#34: Shane Roulston, Founding Director of NeuronsVR
EP#35: David Moran, CEO of Southern Cross Care SA, NT & VIC
EP#36: Lachlan Henderson, CEO of hopstep
EP#37: Charles Moore, CEO of BaptistCare
EP#38: Linda Mellors, MD & CEO of Regis Aged Care
EP#39: Fabio Maya, CEO of For Purpose Aged Care
EP#40: Sandra Hills, CEO of Benetas
EP#41: Cara Williams, Head of Business Partnering at Bolton Clarke
EP#42: Jason Binder, CEO of Respect
EP#43: Marie Alford, GM of Innovation at HammondCare
EP#44: Tom Symondson, CEO of Ageing Australia
EP#45: Jo Boylan, former CEO of Clayton Church Homes
EP#46: Archie Mursalin, CEO of Salveo HomeCare
EP#47: Lincoln Hopper, CEO of St Vincent's Care
EP#48: Tammy Ridgway GM Client Services at Mercy Health
EP#49: Gretta Wallis. GM Quality at Amana Living
EP#50: Cassandra Tobin, GM Care Partnering at Silverchain
EP#51: Angela Raguz, Head of Aged Care at Salvation Army Aged Care
EP#52: Clare Grieveson, CEO of Southern Cross Care WA
EP#53: Brad Sandilands, CoFounder of Quality Insite
EP#54: Scott Lawton, CIO of Apollo Care
EP#55: Tim Humphries, CEO of Homestyle Aged Care
EP#56: Russell Bricknell, CEO of Juniper Aged Care
EP#57: Alissa Walsh, CPO of Apollo Care
EP#58: Lorraine Poulos, Founder of LPA
EP#59: Fonda Voukelatos, Deputy CEO of Uniting Agewell
EP#60: Marie-Louise Macdonald, CEO of Freemasons WA