SO YOU WANT TO BE A NURSE

It’s a great day when the message comes back, “You passed the board exam!” It’s even greater if it says your score is 99 percent and you are the highest in the state. You may cheer, jump up and down, cry for joy or sigh with relief, but dear nurse, this like being born; it is just the beginning of a journey filled with unique experiences. Finishing the courses and passing the exam may make you a nurse, but it does not make you an excellent nurse. Here I want to illustrate those special ingredients that take you on your journey from a nurse to an “excellent nurse”. Stop a minute, take my hand and let’s walk the road that will be the one you must travel to become an excellent nurse. There will be ten ingredients.

Nursing is one of the largest professions on earth, highly respected by most, and touches the lives of all. Whether you are being born or near death, the nurse is often the “one” you want near to help. We will consider in these series of articles some of the necessary ingredients to becoming an “excellent” nurse.

As in all professions there are great, good, fair, poor, and unsatisfactory nurses. After 50 years in this profession, permit me to share a few critical ingredients found in an excellent nurse.

COMPASSION

It was a beautiful afternoon, following four hours of college classes, when I arrived home, put my books on the table, dressed quickly in the white starched uniform, clipped the cap with the black stripe on it, (of which I was very proud!!!) and headed to the hospital. My area was in the labor section and I loved coaching the new moms and helping to relieve the pain whenever I could.

Placing that precious bundle in the arms of a new mom was a joy beyond description. Today there was a handsome young couple, so excited about the baby that would soon be theirs to hold. Since they were the only ones there that evening, I worked with "breathing" and "relaxing" between contractions to ease the pain.

I chatted with both parents about their hopes and dreams of the future with their new baby. (We didn't know the sex ahead of time in those days!) They had just recently finished college. The baby's room was decorated and Grandma and Grandpa were in the waiting room. Joy and anticipation filled the air.

Then she was born, little Lisa, the diagnosis "Downs Syndrome" was made, and shock and disappointment replaced anticipation and joy. At this time it is not skill, speed, knowledge or management duties that are important, but compassion. Now is the time for compassion.

Years have flown by and this afternoon I dressed in colored scrubs, no cap with the revered black stripe, but my heart of compassion still firmly in place. I was on “admissions” this evening and as usual had 50 questions for the elderly couple who had just entered the room.

He sat in a wheelchair waiting to be admitted to a Long Term Care facility, never to return home again. They had lived together 60 years and rarely had been apart one night in that entire time. Together they had four children whom they loved dearly. Together they had watched first teeth appear, first steps taken, first day at school, graduations, college, marriages, grandchildren, and great grandchildren arrive.

Days filled with homework, fishing trips, camping, basketball games, birthday parties, Christmas programs, piano lessons, broken bones, and butterfly kisses. Bedtime prayers, tucking each one in every night and letting them know Jesus loved them.

I helped him prepare for bed, asking the usual questions, took his vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, and respirations) and tucked him into bed. I was then able to turn to his wife and put my arm on her trembling shoulder saying "Can I pray with you?" Tears fell down her cheeks, her head rested on my shoulder and I did the most important thing I had done all day! Truly, “Compassion” is an essential ingredient necessary to an excellent nurse. You can be a nurse without it, but surely not an excellent nurse.

TEAMWORK       

Nursing is a profession dependent on teamwork. From the person who cleans the bathrooms, to workers who fix the meals, control the air conditioning or answer the phone—all are members of a single team with the singular goal of providing excellent care to patients. As with a chain, any broken link causes the care to be less than excellent.

Since the nurse leads the team, it is often your people skills that make this team a smooth working machine. Like oil in the motor of your car, respect and recognition of the contributions and value provided by the “less recognized members of the team” can be read in your words, your attitude, and your body language. Your lack of respect, unkind words, and attitudes can also have a negative impact that “drain the oil” from the engine and make it impossible to reach a high level of performance.

Imagine your home. Think of the power that ten minutes of preparation can make in the morning. You start the coffee and set the table. Gather breakfast foods before you wake the family. Think of the tone of voice you would prefer to wake up to. Better than the alternative: rushing, grouchy, half awake, unprepared, and unsettled.

In the same way, ten minutes before your shift with your team can change your entire day. Have assignments in place with reminders of special needs, making sure rounds are made, etc., letting workers know what you expect (i.e. lights answered within a specific time frame, accountability when leaving the floor for any reason). Remember your tone of voice—the same tone you want them to use when talking to you! Smile; be positive—even on the busiest day!

When rearing a family, you discover some children need little motivation to do their work and some must have every job spelled out and be checked on to see if it is done. Even so, your team will have all different types of people, so you will need to have duties clearly written out, and some will require follow up. Learn to accept the different personality types and work with them. See that the goals are accomplished in a pleasant fashion. Be flexible. If there are multiple ways to reach a goal, allow the worker to select which method they prefer. Achieving your goals is the key.

Be more than a team leader. Be an excellent team leader who respects every member of the team. Smile, your attitude is contagious!

INTEGRITY

Nursing, a profession esteemed so highly, puts everyone who chooses this in a position that demands integrity. You can be a nurse without integrity, but you cannot be an excellent nurse without this valuable ingredient.

Every single day you will be challenged with choices that demand integrity, from washing your hands to giving the correct medication. As you handle narcotics, you will always face the challenge of trying them or selling them. Many nurses have failed the test of integrity with this challenge and have lost it all.

This valuable ingredient must reach every part of your day to day dealing with doctor’s orders, using sterile technique when needed, being fair to fellow employees and punching the time clock.

Working closely and with situations that call for strong emotions such as catastrophe, injury, disease, and death can put us in situations that call for all we have to not get inappropriately involved with coworkers and patients. Be careful, dear nurse, your home, your family, and your life are in the balance.

You can be a nurse without integrity, but you cannot be an excellent nurse without it.

Winston Churchill, the great British statesman once said “If a person has integrity, nothing else matters, if a person does not have integrity, nothing else matters.”

ATTITUDE

Have you had a day when morale was great, people worked together, smiles were frequent, everyone did their job to the best of their ability, and patients had excellent care? If these days are rare where you work, there is a reason: Attitude

Have you had a day when tempers flared, everyone felt overworked and  underpaid, no teamwork was evident and "that's not my job or that's not my patient" was the phrase of the hour, the reason is the same: Attitude

Your attitude makes a difference and your attitude is contagious. This is true in the home and in the workplace, in the shopping mall or on the highway. All of us have the ability to control our attitude. Attitudes are not like the flu or chicken pox which just takes hold of us. We must determine what kind of attitude we will have and make that decision for the sake of family, our coworkers and patients, our fellow shopper, and the other people on the highway. We must work on our attitude.

Before you argue that you cannot help or change your attitude, imagine how your behavior changes when someone in authority walks through the door. If you can change your behavior to impress that person, you have the power to change it.

Being thankful is a first step. Realize that many people are without work, and others are too ill to work or have had no opportunity to obtain skills to hold a job. There is a world full of people who would love to be able to do what you are doing today. Examine your heart; are you more skilled at complaining or encouraging? The answer to this question will tell you much about your attitude. Are the people on your team happy and eager to work together or griping and complaining? Check your attitude as the leader, your preparation, your compassion, and your integrity. Make your team the best ever.

You can be a nurse without a good attitude, but you cannot be an excellent nurse without it!

About the Author:

This article is first in a series of articles called, So You Want to be a Nurse. We hope you enjoy these uplifting articles by Sharon Zelinko, RN, Inventor of Gripsors stainless steel gripping bandage scissors. These scissors assist nurses in performing routine medical by gripping IV lines and many other connections. Check her website www.gripsors.com. Gripsors were invented for nurses.