In nursing, humility brings great benefits. It allows you to put aside ego and appreciate what others can offer. Practicing humility helps us to listen and focus on the needs of our patients.
Early in my nursing career, I worked as a home health nurse. I took much pride in my work performance. My team leader boasted on how we formed the "A-Team" and I worked hard for this label. Mrs. X was my patient for over a year. Mrs. X had end-stage heart failure and did not wish to visit ED for symptom management. The physician recommended hospice care. Mrs. X did not want another nurse to visit. Her son was also concerned stating "we love you, what can the hospice nurse do that you can't?”.
I was confident I could continue to meet the patient's needs and she remained on home care services. Several years later, I accepted a hospice position and realized Mrs. X didn't have the benefit of symptom management at the end of life. I lacked the knowledge and experience needed to provide the same level of end of life care as a hospice nurse. With all my pride and hard work, I fell short on humility. Although I had only good intentions, I failed to acknowledge my limitations. The truth? Mrs. X's end of life goals could have been better met with hospice.
Knowledge and Expertise is not Enough
Nurses practice professional humility when they realistically look at their strengths, weaknesses, knowledge and abilities. Humility often comes easier for new nurses who tend to be less confident and are open to learning from others.. As we move through our nursing careers, we develop many skills and gain expertise. Patients value nurses who are confident in their abilities. However, they also want nurses who are aware of their limitations and willing to seek assistance when needed.
When caring for Mrs. X, I truly wanted what was in her best interest. Unfortunately, my overconfidence caused me to lose focus on the patient. As a result, Mrs. X didn't benefit from what another nurse could provide.
A Humble Nurse Does This
Being humble has great benefits. Humility allows you to put aside ego and appreciate what others can offer. We learn to pay attention and listen to the patient's needs. Here are a few simple ways you can practice humility in your day to day practice:
Ask for assistance when needed
View support as an opportunity to gain new knowledge
Admit when you make a mistake
Know your weakness and work to improve them
Apologize when needed
Be open to new ideas and differing opinions
Treat people with respect
Be patient with the weaknesses of others
Be tolerant of your own inadequacies
Talk less and listen more
Show appreciation to others
Seek honest feedback and welcome constructive criticism
Whether you are a student, new nurse or have had a long career, there is always more to learn.
Avoid Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome
Do you ever reach a point when your mild-mannered and calm self morphs into an impolite, blunt and rattled alter ego? How do you respond when a new nurse asks you to help her insert a catheter 15 minutes before shift change? Are you rude or frustrated and does it show? These moments are opportunities to practice humility. When you do "snap" and your Hyde ego takes over, be sure to apologize once the storm has passed.
The Litmus Test of Humility
To practice humility, we need to understand how people perceive us. A good litmus test is how your friends, co-workers and family would describe your personality. It may even be necessary to actually ask and tell them to be open and honest. Most likely, the feedback will include both positive and negative characteristics. Are you approachable and polite or curt and impatient? Are you irritable, grumpy and withdrawn? Understanding your Hyde alter ego will allow you to move forward by answering the question "how do I want people to perceive me?”.
Freedom From Ourselves
Humility in nursing means to see to our limitations and weaknesses. Nurses who are humble view their own importance as equal to others. When mistakes seem like a blow to your ego, humility provides an opportunity to improve and move on to better. Humility allows us to grow in our relationships and benefit from the contribution of others. But most importantly, humility brings freedom by taking the attention off of ourselves.
Yet, having these self actualization abilities that sharpen over time never seems to change the outcome, does it? Ie, .. the profession itself (damned if you do, damned if you don't phenomenon) , or how/ why nurses continue to be abused, shorted, shouted down, shut down, reprimanded, set up for failure, fired and destroyed, and robbed of one's sanity and confidence.
ie...you can do everything right, and things still go wrong. And exactly the opposite happens as well. We know its not about skill, education, self actualization, humility, #bebest, the blame game, getting out on time, perfect charting, imperfect charting. None of it matters. You work at the subjective whim of whomever had the connections to get into a management position.
WOW!, really well articulated. A tough pill to swallow. It's hard accepting the fact that your job is at the mercy of your management.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
On 5/25/2019 at 10:25 PM, thoughtful21 said:
Sometimes people with humility tend to get steamrolled by the more confident people though, don't they? Aren't they looked down on and made to look worse than others, because they are asking questions, admitting mistakes, accepting criticism, and listening more than talking?
Possibly. But much harder to knock them off a pedestal when they aren't on one. These are the people who smile grimly to themselves and go on about their business when it inevitably happens to someone who was due.
If your 4 year old is waiting for you to pick him up or your mom is depending on you at a certain time, maybe you can't help. Maybe, you need to look selfish. That takes a lot of humility to perform one's duty and look "bad."
I should have added: Easier said than done.
It is so hard to have commitments to multiple parties, circumstances.
I've worked in corporations before becoming a nurse. The mantra was always "Do more with less". How convenient! ZDoggMD talked about this. He talked about "moral fatigue" (I think that's what he called it on his Youtube channel.) Not burnout but "moral fatigue". The awful feeling of wanting to provide excellent care, but the staffing does not allow it.
And that excellent care includes not only our patients and LTC residents. It includes each other and our families and friends. How many fewer mental health cases, suicides, and poor health could be avoided. Yes, there are always people who take advantage of the system. They might be able to be weeded out if there is enough staff to take their places reasonably.
How many nurses and doctors and allied health care workers are actually not trying to pull their weight? Maybe they need to be helped to work in a more appropriate area - not a punishment but to help all of us and our 'systems' work well. These people have training and desire, and not everybody can be a great HCW.
SweetBabyJames
22 Posts
WOW!, really well articulated. A tough pill to swallow. It's hard accepting the fact that your job is at the mercy of your management.