Learning assertiveness & gaining respect

[fossil117]

Hello fellow readers,

This is an article about my nursing experience, and some observations/conclusions I have made, mainly that satisfaction with nursing for me has much to do with feeling effective and feeling respected. I don't want to waste a lot of your time, but I would love your feedback.

I have been a nurse for 3 years now. I spent my first 2 years on a Med-Surg-Uro-Gyn-Tele floor, a little bit of everything to launch me into nursing. First of all, I wouldn't trade the experience, it made me a stronger person and better nurse. It was a tough 2 years for me though, although I think I learned more about myself than ever before and came away with good experience under my belt, I also felt plain beat up and defeated in some ways after that job. I felt like it was difficult to get support from my manager and hard to get the doctors' respect. I felt like I was passing medications and turning over patients at lightening speed. I didn't feel like I truly got the gist of my pt's issues (putting the pieces together) until the middle or end of the shift. I did get to spend a good bit of time teaching, which is something I truly enjoy with nursing. I think the turnover was the hardest part though. We could have a floor full, with 10 discharges, and they were barking at us to get the pts discharged to allow for more admits (only 2 floors open in this particular hospital) I remember walking down to the cafe, and a family/pt were being wheeled out, the pt was nauseated and the family member told me they didn't know why she was being sent home. I called the floor and we took the pt right back up and the doc was called.

Truthfully after a few months of this job, I was ready to call it quits. But timing and other circumstances kept me there for 2 years. So, after that, I got a job in a cardiovascular ICU at a different hospital. I had worked in a CVICU as a nurse tech during school and loved it, but was too intimidated to start there fresh out of school. I have been there for a year, and so many things are better with this job. I have had some great preceptors, and amidst the work to be done, there is time to sit and discuss each pts issues. How wonderful and novel this felt y'all! I am friendly with some of my coworkers, and we talk about work/pt diagnoses and solutions to problems frequently. I know that I can ask for their opinion/advice even when I am working and they are not. (I try to not do too frequently for obvious reasons though) I had a learning curve, being in a more acute care unit, but I love being able to focus on a particular body system and a (still large) number of diagnoses/issues to learn about. As I mentioned earlier, I had a time early on getting respect from doctors. To be honest, I feel like they felt I worked hard, at least. I certainly caught problems and let them know. I attribute this to being on a learning curve when you are a new nurse. Seeing more and more, and learning the more obvious, then earlier s/s of trouble, comes with experience. I have read articles on being assertive, and had coaching from a fellow nurse, and I think it has helped a lot.

I feel so very passionate about helping my pts. I won't go long with "that gut feeling" just sitting on me and not addressing it. As we all know, some doctors are willing to explain and teach you, and it is just a wonderful thing all the way around. But here we arrive at my quandry. Despite my bit of experience and a strong desire to learn and improve,and all my notes, thoughts ready to share, sometimes a more experienced nurse is looked to for the quick report for the MD. Ugh this is such a let down. I feel like I have become more outspoken, I have learned if you don't develop your voice and rattle your chain, you get lost in the mix. But what are ways you all think I ( and maybe some other nurses out there) could improve in becoming more assertive, and hopefully gaining some respect? I am trying to regularly study to increase my knowledge. I am lucky to have a nurse that helps me with really all aspects of improving as a nurse. But I would appreciate any advice. I sometimes have an issue with dealing with demanding pts, and how to be assertive with them without coming off sounding rude, and cutting off good communication with them, which is essential to caring!

Thank you!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

What we say in my maritime-oriented family is, "If you aren't making waves you aren't moving forward."