Are nurses really vulnerable?

[Dinma123]

I will like to know your views on this class discussion topic, "How might the willingness to be vulnerable impact communication on a nursing unit?".

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Tell us your ideas first.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Define being vulnerable.

[Lynx25, LPN]

This is way to vague.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

I think this is the 2nd homework question that you've posted today. Most responders here will want to hear your ideas and discuss from there.

[amoLucia]

'Who's willing to be vulnerable' in the first place and this impacts nursing unit communication HOW???This is not for real!

[workingharder]

The answer is almost certainly dependent on whether the collective "Energy Field" is disturbed. After this has been established, I'd ask for a refund for this class.

[leslie :-D]

'Who's willing to be vulnerable' in the first place and this impacts nursing unit communication HOW???This is not for real!

no one i know of is willing to be vulnerable, but a nurse can and does make him/herself vulnerable quite often...just by speaking up for themselves or their pts.

if there are retaliatory repercussions, it can and often does, inhibit further communication...

which can (and does) affect one's workplace environment, and/or pt care.

yes amo, it is very much for real.

leslie

[Dinma123]

Everyone is vulnerable in one way or the other, not necessarily in the general/normal sense of the word. Nurses are exposed to a lot of infectious diseases and other hazards at the work place. I have seen nurses complain about difficult patients who are hard to please and who have on occassions cursed out the nursing staff for no good reasons. As a nurse, you are sure to lose your job or face some kind of disciplinary measures if you cursed back. Now, that is being vulnerable. When a physician, nurse manager/supervisor, or anyone else who assumes some kind of superiority over you speaks disrespectfully to you and you cannot do much about it, that is vulnerability right there.

I just need more ideas on how being vulnerable affect communication on a nursing unit. It is not a homework but a discussion question for my class.

Thank you so much.

[33762FL]

A discussion question for your class is homework.

Try a google search on the topic, or go search CINAHL for academic research on the topic.

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

I think you're confusing vulnerability with "letting people walk all over you." Cursing at anyone is immature behavior for any reason. By not responding in anger to difficult patients, we are not being vulnerable, we are being professionals. There is absolutely nothing wrong with professionally telling a patient or a superior that their behavior and language is not acceptable. As nurses, we have many avenues that we can use to stand up for ourselves. Hospital security, managers, union reps, HR, the chain of command, etc. If a patient or a staff member is consistently rude or disrespectful and we do nothing about it, that's not vulnerability, that's allowing a bully to push us around.

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

Moved to Nursing Student Assistance Forum.