Self Reflection: What could you do better?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi Everyone! A conversation with a friend of mine got me thinking about self reflection and things I could work on at work.

For me:

- I can be kind of loud. I have a loud voice and when I am venting to coworkers, I suspect that on my last shift a patient's family member heard me. It was not my intent to make her feel small but I inadvertently did so and I am going to work on this.

What do you need to work on? Are you a gossip? Are you a pessimist? Are you frequently late? What do you need to work on?

Specializes in ICU/PACU.

I worry too much. And it's getting worse, not sure what to do to fix it!

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I worry too much. And it's getting worse, not sure what to do to fix it!

Get thee to a professional who can help you gain insight and learn how to dial it down. You don't want to end up like my mother-in-law, who wrings her hands endlessly over everything and everybody, even though she has no control over the situations or people, even when she is quite peripheral to all of it. If one thing is either set aside or resolved, she looks for something else to worry about and finds it every time!

The imp in me pictures the movie scene where Cher slaps Nicolas Cage and says, "Get over it!"

But seriously, I know it's easier to say than do, however it IS a habit-of-thought worth learning to deal with, and it requires one who knows how to help, to guide you through it.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I think we need to be on tranquilizers to do this job! Please someone tell me how not to get stressed out and stay calm because nothing I've done so far has been working!

Tranquilizers work, so I'm told. I used to be stressed out all the time too . . . I just made up my mind that if I was going to do the job, I was going to find SOMETHING to enjoy about it. The harder I tried, the more I found to enjoy. Then a good friend told me that "you might as well have as much fun as you can, and being stressed out isn't any fun." It made sense. It's kinda hard to be stressed when you're having a good time. (I get that the reverse is also true.)

This makes no sense, I'm sure, but I just made up my mind to be happy. When faced with a situation where you either have to laugh or you'll cry, laugh. It's a lot more fun. Wish I could say I've perfected the attitude, but once I made up my mind to be happy, I'm happy a whole lot more of the time than I'm stressed. In the end, you cannot control what happens, but you can control how you react to it.

OK, there's no way I can make this sound NOT "Pollyannaish", so I'll just quit now.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
Tranquilizers work, so I'm told. I used to be stressed out all the time too . . . I just made up my mind that if I was going to do the job, I was going to find SOMETHING to enjoy about it. The harder I tried, the more I found to enjoy. Then a good friend told me that "you might as well have as much fun as you can, and being stressed out isn't any fun." It made sense. It's kinda hard to be stressed when you're having a good time. (I get that the reverse is also true.)

This makes no sense, I'm sure, but I just made up my mind to be happy. When faced with a situation where you either have to laugh or you'll cry, laugh. It's a lot more fun. Wish I could say I've perfected the attitude, but once I made up my mind to be happy, I'm happy a whole lot more of the time than I'm stressed. In the end, you cannot control what happens, but you can control how you react to it.

OK, there's no way I can make this sound NOT "Pollyannaish", so I'll just quit now.

That's one of the ways I used to cope when I was young. Not always successfully....Have never told this before but I am serious, that movie 'Pollyanna" made a BIG impression on me, and when I could tap in to that frame of mind it lightened my load considerably.

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I need to stop being a pushover and speak my mind sometimes.

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.

Great question! I could use to keep my head in my own space as much as possible. If I start to try to solve all problems, I will lose my job and just make my own world worse....and, as a good nurse, I would no longer be helping make the world better for my patients, if I no longer work there. I have to do the best *I* can do....and leave the rest to God...within reason, of course.

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Specializes in LTC.

I am ridiculously distrusting of others and their motives, which is why I keep me and my business to myself. It takes me a LONG time to become friendly with someone, though I will still keep them at arms length "just in case." Honestly the only part about it that's bothersome to me is that I expend an enormous amount of energy maintaining vigilance when I probably don't need to.

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Another thing I need to work on: I call a lot of my patients hunnie (a lot of the women I call hunnie or ma'am) or sir (for the men). I just noticed myself doing this. Not cool. I work in acute care. I need to work on calling them by their preferred name!

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Another thing I need to work on: I call a lot of my patients hunnie (a lot of the women I call hunnie or ma'am) or sir (for the men). I just noticed myself doing this. Not cool. I work in acute care. I need to work on calling them by their preferred name!

"Hunnie?"

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I'm not very good at taking criticism. Also not very good at masking my annoyance or my impatience with people who exasperate me, which can be a major problem when you're a nurse. And when you're exasperated easily.

In terms of the hands-on skills and direct care tasks..... it's not so much that I could do better at them, more they're just not the favorite part of my job. I excel at documentation. When we were without an MDS coordinator for a year, I was allowed to "split" my shifts between helping out the DON with MDS charting and helping out on the floor. I enjoyed my hours spent coding activity levels and typing out monthly summaries very much.

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Here's the thing about confronting laziness in PCTs, Unit Secretaries, and other Nurses: It absolutely needs to be done! The downside is that you will never again win a popularity contest. The passive-aggressive "punishment" is that you will no longer be included in the whispered gossip sessions, and you may be called some unpleasant names behind your back. But you know what? I'm okay with that!!!! If that's what I have to do to get good care for my patients, then so be it!! Nurse on!!!

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To Want2BANURSESOIN, for your post:

Another thing I need to work on: I call a lot of my patients hunnie (a lot of the women I call hunnie or ma'am) or sir (for the men). I just noticed myself doing this. Not cool. I work in acute care. I need to work on calling them by their preferred name!

That's not such a horrible sin! As a patient, I have found that trait in nurses oddly comforting.

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