Nurses! I have a few interview questions related to resilience I need to ask!

RNperdiem, RN · Jun 1, 2022

1. Resilience is the mental and emotional strength it takes to get through the day and to get through life. This resilience is a fluid state. A draining day can deplete your supply and good self-care can strengthen it. People differ in how much resilience they have.

2. I can't think of any one situation, but on a daily basis, nursing is one where the responsibility is heavy and the demands keep coming. Resilience is in daily use.

3. I think of the self-care that maintains resilience as part of life. Maintaining a good sleep schedule, eating nutritious food, keeping fit, enjoying creative hobbies, managing stress, having close relationships with people who care are well-known buffers against stress in life. Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability or resources to practice good self care. I also think resilient people keep strong boundaries. They say no to overtime if they don't want to work extra, they leave jobs that treat them poorly for jobs with better conditions. Being able to say no and advocate for your needs without feeling guilty is a big resilience builder.

Davey Do · Jun 1, 2022

Resiliency in nursing: Possessing the integrity, moral and ethical fortitude to carry on despite the bellowing and stumbling blocks thrown in our paths by naysayers, hatchet men, and bureaucratic penciled-neck geeks.

A time in which I was resilient: There are multitude, but an easily retrieved example came in about the middle of my 40+ year career when I was stabbed with a pair of scissors by a client diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia. I suffered from symptoms of PTSD, sought professional help, turned down an offer of a 'script for benzodiazepines, and used spirituality, exercise, and art as key factors in my recovery.

How to build on one's ability to become more resilient: Focus on our mental health well-being as well as our physical health. We train for events where we test our physical limits to the max, so should we train for situations where our mental and emotional limits will be tested.

Develop an unwavering life stance, whether it be based in religious, spiritual, philosophical, or scientific tenets. Joseph Campbell advised us to "Follow your bliss" and find a meaningful and easily accessible pursuit which will replenish our psyche energy.

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Jun 2, 2022

Resilience in my career has mean dealing with the challenges of short staffing, bureaucracy, difficult patients and families, and less than optimal conditions and situations but still being able to provide the best care for my patients and be a resource for my coworkers. It has also meant finding a balance between a career that can be emotionally draining and keeping myself healthy for myself and my family. I haven't always been successful, but it's always been the goal.

I think most of the pandemic overall was a test of resilience, but I think that November to January of this past fall was the biggest test I have faced. Almost all of my patients died, I was working 60+ hours a week because we were not well staffed enough for the number of critically ill patients we had. They were SO sick that keeping three patients alive through the night was a physical and mental challenge on many nights. I didn't prioritize my own physical or mental health AT ALL and I was nearly to the point of burnout by the end of January. Fortunately, the wave subsided abruptly and things worked out.

As far as building resilience I think that finding the balance between what you can be responsible for and what you can't is important. Not taking things too much to heart, but remaining empathetic and available to patients and staff is important. And in a true "do as I say, not as I do", making your own mental and physical health a priority is really important. I've let mine go for too long and getting back into it is painful, but it will be worth it.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jun 2, 2022

Is this a requirement for entry to nursing school?