Bad Behavior Continues

The incivility and bullying among nurses and "soon to be nurses" continues to be out of control.  I  am still in awe of how a profession that cares for patients and uses word like "holistic and therapeutic" could be so mean and evil to their nursing colleagues and peers. I will not beat around the bush.  We have:

• nursing educators who teach by intimidation and the students are so terrified they cannot think or learn  
• students who attack educators
• educators who attack their colleagues and attempt to set them up for failure
• nurses who are horrid to one another and gleam as they watch their colleagues drowning
• nursing students who bully one another
• nursing managers and directors who allow bad behavior to continue and have no intentions of "nipping it in the bud"

As I facilitate and guide learning for nursing students I am consistently reminding them to be kind.  Always encouraging them to work within the scope of nursing and practice safely to promote positive client outcomes.  The physical and emotional environment must be positive so the client will be guided to optimum outcomes. The persecution, browbeating, harassment, tormenting, intimidating, and dominating must stop.  Why does this continue to fall on deaf ears?   

A Whole New World

2015 grads from nursing school are refreshing and exciting.  Many have received the authorization to test (ATT), have sat for boards, and successfully passed.  They are going through corporate orientation and getting ready to become acclimated to the floor.  Some of our novice nurses have already been accepted to a "specialized" field.  I do have a different opinion about this than many of my colleagues.  Many educators feel the novice nurse must become a medical surgical nurse for at least a year, then branch out. They are in the frame of mind that "skills" will be lost if they do go in to a specialized field.  My opinion about this is different.  If an individual knows what their passion is and has their heart set on being an operating room (OR) nurse, labor and delivery (L&D), or love the adrenalin rush of the emergency room (ER), then I say do it!  Our passion is what fuels us to be the best at what we do.  When we do something that we like but don't love, sometimes we get burnt out very soon and also find it hard to smile and promote those we care for to their highest level of wellness on the health continuum.




There are four things I do know that help promote the client served to their highest level of wellness: 

1. Develop a positive rapport and smile when you walk in the room
2. Assess thoroughly from head to toe
3. Listen to the one served
4. Be kind all the time!

Let's change the face of nursing, one new grad at a time! 

A wonderful experience at Clark Memorial Hospital

I want to share a positive in nursing.  Something that should be an every day occurrence!


The students first day on the floor was yesterday and we spent the time with the students becoming  acclimated to the floor. The students were AMAZED at how well one of my nursing pals, Cindy Bush and I worked together. They could not get over that we shared knowledge, kindness, laughter, and calmness while taking care of those served. Great role model Cindy!!!! Happy 40th anniversary of serving the sick and tired with kindness and safety!!!


I truly believe this is what nurses should experience every day.  When nurses work hand in hand with one another, patient outcomes improve, as well as nursing attitudes!!  It IS this simple!  Just do it!

Be an ADVOCATE and stop horizontal violence/bulling in Nursing!!!

As a nurse, we all pledge to abide by the Nursing Code of Ethics and to provide no harm.  When we agreed to provide no harm, this pledge does not only apply to the ill clients we are implementing individual interventions to restore them back to health.  It also applies to the students who are watching and learning from us, the novice nurse who you are preceptor for, your colleagues who you work side by side with everyday.  Be prepared to be kind and provide integrity and dignity to all.  Remember, someone is always watching.  I am an advocate for my students and will speak up if I see they are being mistreated.  While I am not an employee where we are graciously allowed to be for practicum, I will speak up if I see anyone being mistreated.  I will speak up as a visitor if I see bullying in nursing. To stop the incivility or bullying in nursing we must all step up and stop this form of harassment! Be strong!

Phases of Nursing and Bad Behavior

There are several phases of nursing:


The Honeymoon Phase -  It is wonderful to be out of nursing school, just passed boards, giddy with excitement to make a difference and be practicing as a nurse.  The novice nurse feels EUPHORIC!  Advice for this phase is to find a nurse at the facility you are working that is positive, open, and you want to model your nursing practice after.  Steer clear of negativity.  Be positive and don't allow anyone to steal your joy! If a nurse is negative, chances are the clients she serves will not have optimum patient outcomes! If your preceptor is not positive, let the manager know NOW and request another!! (A nurse must command the room....remember when we told you this in nursing school?)


The Shock Phase - Realizes that nursing IS not what they expected and is far from perfect. The preceptor they are learning from does not follow protocol or do anything like they were taught in nursing school.  They don't know EVERYTHING.  Communication is unclear, bullying is vividly present among other nurses and professional behavior is very poor. The novice nurse may have experienced humiliation by other health care professionals and their colleagues because nurse bullying is allowed to go on.  Advice for this phase is to know it is NORMAL to feel dismayed and overwhelmed in your new profession.  It is okay to talk about this with the Nurse Manager, your preceptor, or the director of the floor you are working on.  Give yourself credit for all the things you DO know:  how to perform a thorough head to toe assessment and check for skin integrity, how to electronically chart that assessment, how to pull and administer the medications, knowing what the medications are, developing a patient specific care plan that will promote your patient to their highest level of wellness on the health continuum AND an assortment of other things.  YOU KNOW MORE than you GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT FOR!!!!  So go ahead and give yourself a high five for being a communicator, collaborator, educator, and advocate for the patients.  Observe the nurses you value and copy skills from them.  Make them your own and ignore the bad behavior!


The Recovery Phase - Finally understands the only person responsible for their nursing practice is "YOU".  By observing, you begin to see that each nurse has their own description of their nursing practice and each nurse is responsible to be the nurse they want to be....no one else is responsible for this.....turn around and LOOK IN THE MIRROR....and  "get it". How can you understand, be respectful, provide dignity and integrity to the patients AND all you work with?  Journal!  Write what is working and what you need to improve on.  ALWAYS keep a sense of humor and treat everyone you come in contact with the way you want to be treated! Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, integrity, and respect.


The Resolution Phase - The novice nurse is beginning to set goals, define their mission and values.  Hopefully you have not started to picking up bad habits (we tell you about this in nursing school) just so you feel that you "fit in" with the rest of your peers.  This phase can be celebrated by knowing your successes and rejoicing in them.  ASK questions and if someone says anything to you, remind them that nursing is life long learning and when a nurse no longer ask questions, the nurse is a danger to herself, her peers, and the patient she cares for.


Where am I going with this?  I spent the afternoon with a novice nurse who is in the "shock phase" of nursing.  She has passed the "honeymoon phase" and is no longer elated.  She shared with me that she and several of the other 2014 grads are already burnt out and ready to find a new career.  This saddens me because these nurses are amazing! Very well educated, smart, compassionate, therapeutic, and holistic!


She experienced nine preceptors during the orientation period, one of whom was the poster model for a "nurse bully".  This particular preceptor wanted to know why there were so many things she didn't know.  (I only wish I could jump in her body for a few minutes to let this preceptor know a couple of things!) To begin with nursing school does not teach the student all there is to know.  Nursing school is to provide the student with quality, safe, and effective education.  This education forms a solid foundation for the student who passes boards to build upon.  The novice nurse really learns when she gets her first job as a board certified nurse.


Nursing is LIFE LONG education.  Whenever a nurse thinks they know it all, they are a danger to themselves, their peers, and the patients they serve.  To humiliate another human being, embarrass or  bully them should be grounds for termination.  Zero tolerance!! 


As I spoke with this novice nurse attempting to tell her she is normal, a good nurse, to believe in herself and continue to make a difference,  I knew from the look in her eyes, she has her mind pretty much made up.  There are two nurses she works with that she feels "safe" enough with to ask questions of.   I told her she can transfer to another department or she may want to go work for an insurance company, look into becoming an employee health nurse, care coordination, etc.  There are so many avenues for nursing besides floor nursing.


I hope that by listening to her and providing some attention and "tender loving care" (TLC), this novice nurse will see what a blessing and gift she is to the world of nursing!  There is a nursing shortage and we truly cannot afford to lose any of the gems!

An amazing thing happened during practicum........

A wonderful thing happened at practicum with the students last week.  On Wednesday they commented how wonderful the nurses were on the med surge floor we were on.  The nurses were helpful with each other, the students, and me.  How wonderful for the students to see this and bring it to my attention!


Guess what?  It happened again on Thursday during the OB practicum!  MUAH!  I love it when a plan comes together.  I hope we are teaching them to comment on the positive and stay away from the negative!!!!

Sharing the journey

I was invited to share,  with freshmen college students a little bit about nursing and my journey in nursing.  It was very nice and informative evening.  I shared the stage with a clinical psychologist and a state social worker.  We had not met before this evening but it seemed like we had known one another our entire lives. We each work in a different profession and provide the client served with hope, integrity, dignity, and humility to those who cross our path.  What a wonderful evening sharing our journey with young students!