8 Ways to Become a Better Nurse : phil baumann /*rn*/
This post is incredible, and definitely worth echoing and sharing! A great find, if I do say so myself–and I do say so myself by the way…
One of the benefits of being away from bedside nursing is that I’ve had time to reflect on my own performance. How could I have been better? What simple precepts would have helped? Being out of the “fog of war” has given me a clearer view of what’s right and what’s wrong in health care. Our culture doesn’t offer much positive encouragement for the nursing profession. That’s a costly shame, as many Baby Boomers soon will discover. To help out, I’ve come up with eight ways to become a better nurse.
- Pay attention to how you perceive your patients
- Intend nothing but the best for your patients
- Speak the truth in a way that echoes your wisdom, not your darkness
- Act on the facts but respect your intuition
- Live your life as a connection to something greater than yourself
- Work through your hardest times, not against them
- Mind your mind: its power to destroy is its power to heal
- Focus on the moment, not the past
Some of us are cut for bedside nursing, some of us aren’t. I think if you’re in bedside nursing and enjoy what you do then you’re a Jedi Knight who commands more respect than you probably receive.
For those of you who don’t quite enjoy what you do, think about your reasons for what you do. Consider the eight precepts (or make up your own) and see if anything changes for the better. You have more options than you realize.
Feel free to add your own suggestions for becoming a better nurse. If I get to 101, I’ll post your thoughts here and promote the living shit out of the list.
I hope the list I’m offering here helps you to become a better nurse, a better person, a better part of our quickly-changing world.
This post has come at an important time in my career in which I am particularly struggling with bedside nursing. It has given my a lot to think about over the next few days as I take a short rest from work (does five days count as rest?)
A powerful post! Here’s the original item link:
August 22nd, 2008 at 06:50
I loved it too. I commented on it over on Phil’s page.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:10
Keyes repeatedly accuses Obama of favoring ‘infanticide’ because of Obama’s vote against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. The failed measure would have required doctors to provide medical attention to fetuses born alive during a rare type of abortion procedure. Keyes pointed out a similar measure sailed through Congress. But there was a major difference between the state and federal versions: the federal one stripped out any language that could have been used to challenge the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion legalization decision. Despite that, Keyes continues to hammer Obama with the “infanticide” charge virtually daily on the campaign trial.
August 22nd, 2008 at 14:18
Hi Sean! I’m glad you’re back to blogging. Hopefully by sharing your feelings and experiences with us, you’ll be able to see some rays of light punch through the darkness. It was a refreshing reminder that just because we’re nurses (albeit, a novice one in my case) we’re not superhuman. We’re prone to the same feelings as those put in our charge (fear, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, etc.) but society makes us feel that it is a weakness to acknowledge the human aspect of ourselves. What other profession would put up with 12 hour shifts with no guaranteed bathroom or meal breaks? I hope you continue to share your ups and downs with us. You’ve been very inspirational to me in the past, and why not? You’re a fabulous nurse!!!
August 22nd, 2008 at 19:44
Sean,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and hope it helps you through your current challenge. Nursing is a brilliant but difficult profession. Any nurse who has had an easy time at it probably was on a lot of happy pills or just clueless. So consider your pain, annoyance, frustrations, etc. as good signs for a remarkable nurse. I’m see you’ll feel your way to a new way of seeing things or to new land.
Thanks for the link. Enjoy your time off!
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