My name is Michael, and I work in the ICU as a RN. The reason i am creating this post is to discuss a topic that was brought up during a staff meeting and to see where people stand on the idea. At the last staff meeting i attended the director focused on a topic central to nursing care, and how to improve it; that topic being caring. Her goal is to improve staff caring in the ICU. I mean, yes, this is a great idea. Improving caring improves patient satisfaction, i don't see a problem with this. The problem i guess lies in her approach. She wants to create a template and protocol for caring, and it all seems so scripted. The unit needs another protocol like i need a hole in the head. I can't get around to reading the three billion that exist already. A scaled template would rate caring on a scale of 1-5. 1 being below average, 5 being outstanding caring. The implementation of this scale would go something like this: "Susan, i can see you're having a tough time with that patient and their family, right now you're caring is at a 2, how can we improve that? what can we do to bring you up to a 4, i have some ideas." Great and all, but i've only been a nurse for a year, how do i go up to a nurse who's been working for 30+ years and tell them that their caring sucks. I probably wouldn't. Nor do i feel that it is my place to whip out a template and find their caring level based on set definitions for each number 1-5. This template exists by the way, and a lot of research went into creating it.
Ok, so i want to get back to the real reason i'm posting this. In the previous paragraph my tone sounded a bit negative, but i'm not opposed to the idea of improving caring. The other staff were a bit offended at the suggested ideas. Feeling that caring is learned, not taught, and everybody cares differently. Tomorrow i need to put together a presentation on caring for our staff meeting, and i feel like i am hitting a brick wall when it comes to ideas. I want to create a presentation that meets the needs of my director, but also a presentation that i wont get stoned for by the staff. The staff have been given a chance to present ideas with little ground gained during discussion.
Does anyone have any ideas of improving nursing caring, without offending staff in the process? Do you think a protocol or scale is appropriate? A caring committee has been created, which I'm not a part of, but i'm willing to bring ideas to the table. Like all change, there is a ton of resistance being met. I am not afraid to be a change agent, as long as it's done tactfully. Any ideas or suggestions on the situation or for my presentation would be greatly appreciated. I have a feeling i'm going to be presenting a neutral presentation on caring that involves nursing theories and what it caring means for nursing.
