I keep reading all the messages posted by everyone in this forum and I have to just keep asking myself... how much of the nursing shortage problems are being caused by nurses themselves??
I feel that each individual is responsible for how they portray themselves and their professions. If we portray our profession in a negative light, then who wants to join??
If each individual is not part of the solution, then obviously they must be part of the problem, right?
Well, I am a Director of Nursing at a 125-bed facility in Maine. Yes, I am part of the "dreaded" management... a term that I am just fed up with. Nothing makes me angrier than when I hear the statement "management doesn't care" or "we get no support from management." Well, I have to tell you that we are all in the same big boat.
I spend a lot of my time recruiting new staff. Nothing is more frustrating than hiring a new staff member and then having my staff treat them like dirt when they go out onto the floor! Is this not counter-productive?? Many of the same staff that act in such a manner are the very same staff who come into my office to complain if they have to work short!!! UGH!!! This makes no sense to me!! Why is it that people have to behave this way? I have spent many hours with my staff in trying to get this point across... and I have to say that one by one, they are catching on. And.... believe it or not, I am beginning to see a difference. It just takes time and takes patience in hitting the idea home.
I also spend time talking with high school kids and promoting the profession. I am amazed at some of the ideas that kids have about the nursing profession... yet again, one by one, you have to start changing the image of the nursing profession. The press and other nurses have tainted people's view of the profession and it does take a lot of time and effort to change these images.
Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to these issues. Those without lots of patience probably do not make the best managers.
I visit these forums regularly and read what other nurses are saying about the profession... wow, sometimes I am appalled by what I read. I am surprised that a nurse would come on here to tell the world how horrible her/his job is. This sure does not lend to the idea of attracting new people to the profession. It makes me very curious if these are some of the same nurses who frequent their DON's office to complain about working short. I love to bring those people's attention to this fact and do so often. I am a big believer in making people accountable for their actions and making them look at something just a bit more differently.
Promoting the nursing profession in a negative light certainly is not helping the cause.
Think about it the next time you make a complaint.
Thanks for listening (or reading!)
It is up to each individual to make the difference... remember, an avalanche starts with just one rolling stone....
