Ice Cream, Anyone?

THE REGARD AN ORGANIZATION holds toward its staff nurses is reflected in its organizational chart. In most hospitals, each service holds an equal position on the chart somewhere under the president. In turn, each of these services has its own chart, which, in part, illustrates the chain of command. The organizational chart often identifies lines of promotion and indicates how positions report directly and indirectly to others. A typical organizational chart in nursing has the chief of the department (vice president) at the top and directors underneath, followed by managers (Figure 1). The managers may have one or more departments listed under them, depicting the position of staff nurses in the organization.