Anyone else the QUIET nurse?

[Newgrad_STAT]

New nurse here...

started my orientation on a medical floor. (I'm part of a float team so I will be floating to all different floors areas).

The first day went alright- my preceptor wasn't bad... I thought she would have shown me a bit more but oh well.

Anyways, I'm usually always pretty quiet and shy. It's just my personality and I've accepted that. I don't always mesh well with people who are loud and love to hear themselves talk. However, when I'm around people who I am really comfortable with I definitely am more outgoing.

But I knew coming on the floor for the first day... I'd be pretty quiet.

and I noticed many of the nurses are very obnoxiously LOUD... gossiping and everything.

I don't mind chatting but I don't want to be apart of gossip.

During break the charge nurse even said to me "You're not normally this quiet are you?" and then she said "Oh boy" and I was thinking I'd rather be quiet than be like you.

Of course everyone is going to have a different personality but wow.

I'm also orientating with another new nurse from the float pool... and she is pretty outgoing... I don't think it makes her a better nurse than me... but I wonder if people think this.

I guess that's the good thing about being part of the float team... always changing.

I don't necessarily mind being quiet... I'm a really great listener, I pick up on tons of things people miss and it's me.

Anyone else in my shoes?

There are a few other nurses on the floor who pretty much kept to themselves. (one was also from the float pool).

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

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but i knew coming on the floor for the first day... i'd be pretty quiet.

and i noticed many of the nurses are very obnoxiously loud... gossiping and everything.

i don't mind chatting but i don't want to be apart of gossip.

during break the charge nurse even said to me "you're not normally this quiet are you?" and then she said "oh boy" and i was thinking i'd rather be quiet than be like you.

of course everyone is going to have a different personality but wow.

some people are louder, others are quieter. the problem is when one or the other starts to believe that they're better than the other . . . .

your "obnoxiously loud" might be someone else's "friendly and outgoing." and your "quiet" may be someone else's "stuck-up and snobby" or "weird and unfriendly."

[linguine]

I just finished a book, "Quiet: the Power of Introvert in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain, an ex wall street lawyer. She said "1/3 to 1/2 of people are introverts." She discusses the benefits of being "quiet" in your personal and professional life. One natural benefit is that introverts think more before they speak. Reading a lot of the posts above, it seems that a lot of the introverts in this thread say that they naturally do this, supporting her research. Introverts are also more comfortable following their intuition and are less risk averse. Warren Buffet is an introvert. Some argue that his nature helped him gather and KEEP so much wealth.

She recently wrote an article, "The New Groupthink" noting how work spaces are now shifting towards more open office plans (first thing I thought of: busy, loud nursing stations). She does not support this shift necessarily. She does provide alternative plans. A lot of her suggestions can be implemented in health care.

Her article in NYT can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?pagewanted=all

Her TED talk, if you do not want to read the book, is a good introduction:

What some may interpret as your weakness may actually be your best strength (this goes for introverts and extroverts).

[LynnLRN]

Well think of it this way. You are coming into a group of nurses who have all probably known each other for quite some time. So maybe they once were quiet like you but have now become a family and appear what seems to be "loud and obnoxious" to you but its just them making work more enjoyable for themselves, because they are now comfortable with each other.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

I've been a quiet person most of my life. In nursing school however, I've learned that I need to speak up. Otherwise I will get run over. I've also learned that I need to be more aggressive in pursuing things. Otherwise I'll be stuck in a career rut. Of course, there is a fine line between being aggressive and being persistent.It's very tiring to act like someone that I'm not. I hate that nursing has way too many loud and obnoxious people. I've been one of those people that's been misconceived as a snob. I heard from one of my friends in college. It's funny that me, a quiet person chose nursing profession, which as a whole is a people profession. I shouldn't have chosen it in hindsight, but now that I'm in I'm not one to back down.

[Brannray]

I have also always been very shy and quiet around people I don't know, but once I get comfortable around someone I do get more outgoing and talkative. I don't think it makes you a "worse" nurse. It seems better to me when you're calm and not so loud. When you're sick, that would probably make you nervous with all the loud noise!

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

I have always found that if I "expect" something, there is a bigger chance of it happening. If you expect to run into difficult, loud, and demanding nurses you will. On-the-otherhand, if you expect to find a good team with a variety of personalities that all work together interchangeably, you will regret losing even ONE of those personalities on your team.

It's all those colors that make a painting gorgeous, not just the bright, loud, beautiful colors. (wow, that sounded alot more artsy fartsy than I was shooting for)! Lol:jester:

[Firefly1009]

As for me I'm the quiet type. I don't like to talk about personal things *keep it work related* and I've had 2 tell my co workers politely that I don't talk about my personal life. I mean that's the first thing people wanna know when your new. *ALL YOUR BIZ* all u need to know is that we have a goal and that's to care for people in the 12 hours we are here.. I know that may sound harsh but it works for me.

[MPKH, BSN, RN]

I'm a quiet RN...but I sure can speak up when I need to.

I've had no problem with me being quiet, and my manager's been telling me I'm doing a great job.

[fallinnstyle]

im this way also, i am very quiet at work and shy. Its hard to talk when you know half the nurses around you are gossping about other nurses.

This is exactly why I am quiet. The loud people are gossiping about other staff members, and as soon as they have any info on you, they will gossiping about you.

So, I am extremely cautious about what personal information I let out at work, and to whom. I also choose to walk away when there is gossip about my coworkers going on.

[doodledee]

I'm naturally quiet and many people comment on it. I hear "you're so quiet!" way too often. Like a couple other posters, I had a clinical instructor tell me I need to be more talkative if I want to make it as a nurse after graduating.

I have many louder, outgoing colleagues that I think are really great at their jobs and I have a lot of respect for them. I don't think that one way is better than the other. I am constantly being asked why I am so quiet as if it is a negative thing. I know another quieter nurse who goes through the same thing. Its just a difference in personality but it does get treated like a flaw.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

How does a quiet nurse call a code blue??

[Vespertinas]

Push the button on the wall.