‘Supernurse’ culture is a barrier to addressing problems

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I hope we discuss the causes, effects, and actions to take to promote a healthy rested nursing workforce?

Fatigue in hospital nurses — ‘Supernurse' culture is a barrier to addressing problems: A qualitative interview study

Fatigue in hospital nurses is associated with decreased nurse satisfaction, increased turnover and negative patient outcomes.

Addressing fatigue in nurses has been identified as a priority by many organizations worldwide in an effort to promote both a culture of patient safety and a healthy nursing workforce...

... All nurses in the current study experienced fatigue; yet they had varying perspectives on the importance of addressing fatigue in relation to other health systems challenges.

A new construct related to nursing professional culture was identified and defined as Supernurse”.

Identified subthemes of Supernurse include: extraordinary powers used for good; cloak of invulnerability; no sidekick; Kryptonite, and an alterego.

These values, beliefs, and behaviors define the specific aspects of nursing professional culture that can act as barriers to fatigue risk management programs and achieving safety culture in hospital organizations.

Nurse fatigue and attributes of nurse professional culture also have implications for nurse satisfaction and retention.

Conclusions

Findings from this study further support the role of nursing professional culture as an important barrier to effectively addressing fatigue in nursing work systems. Future work is needed to identify and evaluate innovative culture change models and strategies to target these barriers...

http://www.journalofnursingstudies.com/article/S0020-7489(16)30227-9/pdf

The ANA Position on Fatigue;

Addressing Nurse Fatigue to Promote Safety and Health: Joint Responsibilities of Registered Nurses and Employers to Reduce Risks

[TriciaJ, RN]

I think we're still our own worst enemies. Missing breaks and not billing for the time, charting off the clock, etc. are some ways we continue to do this to ourselves. Not speaking up in staff meetings (or keeping silent while one vocal person goes out on a limb), coming in on one's own time to complete "mandatory" education modules. Not belonging to the union.

I used to encourage my coworkers to be better advocates for themselves; one martyr hurts all of us. It used to show up on my evaluations that some people didn't like my "conversations".

We can publish all the studies we want. Most of us don't need studies because we already know how we are affected. Most administrators don't care. We're seen as overhead, not profit. Until we're ready to step up and speak up, nothing will change. Patients will have poorer outcomes and we'll get admonished for not smiling enough. The public sees us as angels, not professionals. Advocating for ourselves is seen as unacceptably mercenary. We have a long way to go, baby.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

I fail to see how this is "new". It's an enduring myth arising from the idea of nursing as a vocation & promulgated by an industry that has refused to institute the same basic safety measures that protect truck drivers and airline staff.

[Supernurse17]

Something needs to be done but it seems we are given more of a workload than ever before

[RobbiRN, RN]

We are healers, not fighters. Most of us don't need to be pushed to increase patient satisfaction. It's in our genes. It's why we signed up. But ultimately the disposition to make EVERYONE else happy positions us poorly to fight back against senseless new policies or regulations handed down from above -- things as crazy as a fall risk score for a 2-year-old or an audit form to audit the audit form for moderate sedation. I'm 24 years into this, and every few weeks one more hurdle pops up that I have find a way over, under or around just to keep up an reasonable level of actual patient care. I do speak up in staff meeting, routinely suggest viable improvements, and harshly denounce senseless detours to delivering efficient patient care. But, in the end, mostly I just keep trying harder to keep up.

[Supernurse17]

I have so much I'd like to write about. I'm so tired after my shift today I can't write but I love ❤️ everything I have read so far! Thank you all you are all appreciated so much

[Supernurse17]

It takes a good team working together and I find every (not all) but most nurses today are out to make sure they get the easier assignment. Every nurse for themselves! No teamwork and the patients and certain nurses suffer. Sad

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

True. An even bigger barrier is lack of communication. Do you see how many misdiagnosis occur each year?