Type A Personality in Nursing

[westieluv]

I have been an RN for almost 26 years. I am a very organized, punctual, type A kind of person. The good qualities that this brings to my career are that I always develop an organized system for carrying out my tasks and therefore accomplish them in a timely manner, and I am always on time (early, actually) and ready for my shift.

The down side of being a type A nurse is that when I start to fall behind because of an unexpected admission, having to spend an inordinate amount of time with one patient, etc., I tend to start to feel panicky, like this little voice is telling me that I won't get my work done in a timely manner and my patients won't get what they need when they need it. When I get this way, it is really hard to reprogram and calm down, even though the situation is out of my control and I keep telling myself that I am only one person and can only do what one person can do. Ironically, and thankfully, I can be very calm and efficient in a true crisis situation, such as a code, a patient in sudden pulmonary edema, etc. It's more like when my routine gets a big kink in it and I have to hold everything and regroup and put off tasks that are supposed to be done I freak inside, and I'm sure it shows on the outside.

Can anyone else relate to this or offer any coping mechanisms? I probably need therapy to some extent to find out why I have perfectionistic tendencies and unrealistic expectations for myself (because I really AM just one person and can only do what one person can do), but in the meantime, like if I was going to work today and needed a good coping mechanism for when things get off track, what are some ideas that I can put into practice now so that I can stay calm, inside and out?

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

It's funny, but I think about this often. Most times it's the thought that runs through my head when I observe other people. I always think "how on earth do they get through life?". Many people are terribly disorganized but I tend to plan my day with military precision. I find it frustrating when I see people stumble through the day and not planning ahead and then look surprised when it all falls apart. I guess that makes me a Type A. I set goals and write lists and I get frustrated if I get sidetracked by something or someone but age is teaching me to relax a little more and not sweat the small stuff. I do take pride in my organizational skills, but they do stress me out much of the time too.

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

I honestly think it's a "nurse thing" ! I too am type A and can be quite anal when it comes to organization. Why ? Because we have to be ! In this profession we have to be ever mindful of the time we have and there is no place for a passivity.

Not that we are military or anything like that, but good organization skills will really help you get through your day much easily.