why is it that everyone seems to believe they're a good nurse despite evidence to the contrary? the nurse who "oozes compassion from every pore" and who has a "calling" thinks she's an excellent nurse even though her patient is bleeding because she didn't understand the relationship between pt/inr and coumadin. the nurse with the awesome skill set and knowledge base will tell you he's the best nurse in the unit and almost everyone else is stupid -- but he's well known for spending his entire shift in the break room while someone else fetches the ice chips and the bedpan.
why is it that nurses who are having difficulty with their co-workers will not entertain the possibility that they've contributed to the difficulties. "i'm a good nurse," they'll say. "alphonse is just picking on me!" or my personal favorite -- complaining about the tired, nasty, fat and ugly old nurses who "ought to just retire and get out of my way" and are only unpleasant to her because they're jealous of her great pulchritude. and veronica, who was fired for gross incompetence insists that she was "fired for no reason" because "they're just out to get me."
nobody thinks they're a bad driver; no one thinks they're a poor nurse. it boggles the mind.
-- ruby, who works with some excellent nurses and some really bad ones and herself falls somewhere in between.
The problem is how do we define "how well our patients do"? That's such a subjective, individual, and changing parameter that I'm skeptical that it can be sufficiently defined to be used as a criteria for evaluating nurses.[/quote']
Agreed, it is difficult over one shift or maybe two, but over the months we actually should able to gain a pretty good idea about whether patients do well in our care or not.
No-one's perfect.
But I try never to make the same mistake twice, or be ignorant about the same thing more than once! Knowing as much as I can about any individual patient, and their care, is the object of any nursing exercise!
Agreed, it is difficult over one shift or maybe two, but over the months we actually should able to gain a pretty good idea about whether patients do well in our care or not.
I don't know... what kinds of metrics would be applicable over the broad range of patients and conditions that we see on any given floor... not to mention the areas like OR, GI, ER, etc.
When I first started, I thought along those same lines... Kind of like the +/- ratings that hockey uses with its players (how many net points does your team score when you're on the ice?). Now, though, I just don't see how you could develop the universal metrics that it would require.
I'd be more in favor of anonymous, subjective evaluations from coworkers.
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Personally I don't see anything wrong with tooting one's own horn. We are in one of the most stressful professions there is. If we have to pat ourselves on the back to get through the day, what's the harm? I AM a good nurse. I have excellent assessment skills, am a fantastic mentor for the younger, newer nurses, and run a great building. I tell the staff every day that they are doing a wonderful job. My one fault is my modesty.
once upon a time, i too, considered myself....not a "good" nurse but a great nurse.
i rarely met a nurse who aspired to the (high) standards of care that i possessed.
i took much pride in being one of the best.
then reality visited. :-l
if i felt i was all that, then couldn't others see me as self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, cavalier, and egotistical?
ok, so i no longer consider myself a "great" nurse.
and above anything else, i am humble.
and that's a good thing...
(unless ruby tells me differently.)
leslie
Doing the best job that you can, going the extra mile, continuing your education with QUALITY programs and striving to learn, teach and develop in the nursing profession are worthy goals.
I don't know what "reality" visited you, but if it was an error, then well yes, we do make them. Making an error in a stellar careeer does NOT make your quest for perfection "self-righteous, condescending, arrogant or egotistical".
I have had those words thrown at me for simply and politely, pointing out GROSS lapses in Pt. care in a one-on one situation with my coworker.
As a GREAT nurse, you had the education, experience and self-awareness to be able to process and learn from your "reality".
Maybe some of these people ARE good nurses. Maybe they just need a little help with time management, or guided to do procedures a little more efficiently perhaps. Maybe they just need a little more experiencd in different settings.
To be honest, I have rarely (if ever actually) met a nurse that said aloud 'I am a good/great nurse' then has DELIBERATELY not performed procedures incorrectly or gone out of their way to harm a patient (in any shape or form).
)
LilDolphin
18 Posts
ROFL I was going to post something very similar!