Taking down the walls: a nurse manager's experience in acute care and home care.

Changes in the health care system are stimulating trends in where and how nursing services are delivered. Nurse managers are responsible for the overall management of the nursing work unit and must be prepared to practice in settings other than acute care. Home care is a rapidly growing practice that emerges as patients are discharged from the hospital sooner with ongoing medical and nursing needs. The job responsibilities of a nurse manager remain similar across practice settings, including the transition from acute care to home care. A detailed checklist highlights specific similarities and differences in the nurse manager's role in acute care and home care settings. As the walls of the practice setting are taken down, nurse managers must build on current knowledge and creatively develop new skills to remain successful in ongoing job responsibilities.