By Laura Wisniewski

Perhaps you always dreamed of becoming a nurse when you were younger or you may have been attracted to nursing as a second career. At some point you understood the true value that nurses contribute to the lives of patients, the community and humanity.

There were many hurdles to stride getting into and surviving nursing school. The competition was intense and schedule grueling. You persevered through the long nights studying, endless nursing care plans and exhaustive exams.

Graduation came and the state exam is over. You placed your diploma into a frame and moved on to the next phase of your career. Soon after you began your first job as a nurse. How long was it before disillusionment set in? What were the factors leading up to it?  How did you deal with it then? How are you dealing with it now?

If you have been able to maintain a high level of passion recognize that many of your colleagues have not.  They could benefit from your example however even the most highly engaged nurses become discouraged and may disengage at times.  

Understand the cost of disengagement

Much is being written about the consequences of employee disengagement.  What industry could be more impacted by this phenomenon than healthcare?  Nursing disengagement leads to increased medical errors, absenteeism, increased turnover and burnout. The disengaged nurse negatively affects the decision of others to enter nursing. An engaged employee is more than twice as effective, productive and creative as their disengaged counterpart. A high level of engagement in the nursing workforce would profoundly effect patient outcomes and attract others to the profession.

Acknowledge that your passion may have dwindled

You were once proud of being a nurse and excited about all the new things you were learning. Sometimes it may seem easier not to remember. Perhaps looking back you now tell yourself, “I was so naïve.”  Maturity and cynicism are not the same thing. Enthusiastic new nurses are often told by their role models; “You’ll get over it, I did.”

Simply to survive the current environment of healthcare you may have developed a thick coat of armor.   Many nurses are neglecting self care further depleting their ability to cope. Some nurses are dealing with the stress in other unhealthy ways. Remember these are choices and you can also choose to react in healthy self empowering ways.

Stop waiting to be rescued

A frequent cry heard from nurses is that the hospital administration or government should do something about the problems in nursing. Nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare professionals. There are 2.5 million nurses in the United States. Yet the majority of nurses remain silent.A large part of the problem is that nurses are too busy fighting amongst themselves.  Lateral violence or “eating our young” has been a well documented phenomenon in nursing for many years. In the UK the term bullying is used to describe this issue. Stop the trend by refusing to participate!  Some nurses have succumb to the scarcity model of thinking, with the belief is that there is not enough of the pie to go around. In contrast the by embracing the abundance model model of thinking , we make the pie bigger.

Gather Information

What are you currently reading? Are you reading? Educate yourself about the issues effecting nursing. What are the regulatory, financial and technological trends driving your practice?  Technical information is critical to staying abreast of changes in your field. However, balance studying the science of nursing with the art of nursing. The intrinsic value that nurses offer patients is what makes nursing truly different from all other healthcare specialties.

The fastest way to become an expert in your field is to read an hour a day. Spend time learning about career trends and options. Are you prepared for the sudden shifts that lie ahead? To become truly informed read about trends in fields outside of nursing and healthcare.

This is the information age. Are you comfortable with technology and finding information on the internet? The internet literally puts the world at your fingertips. Nursing is knowledge work. That knowledge is evolving at a mind boggling pace. Don’t be left behind. Learn to use search engines and databases. Network with other nurses of similar interests on the Internet.  

Listen to encouraging voices

It is just as important to feed your spirit as it is to feed your mind. Combat the negative noise and pessimism with optimistic solution oriented information.  There is an ever growing group of nurses that want to help improve the current situation in healthcare.  They can be found everywhere… in books and journals, on the internet, nursing organizations and perhaps working next to you.

Negative speaking and thinking are habits. Over time these habits can be replaced with positive ones. It takes time and practice. When you speak optimistically about the future of nursing, the first person to hear your words is you. This is not meant to offer an over simplistic solution to the problems facing nursing, simply a starting point. 

The Challenge

It has been said that knowledge is power…however application of knowledge by taking action is the only real power. Begin with your own career. You will start affecting those around you. Leadership is not a position. It is the act of setting an example through our actions. All nurses are leaders. Start a ripple effect where you work and in your nursing organizations. Tap back into why you became a nurse and help those around you do the same. When enougn nurses reengage in nursing, it will create a tipping point and healthcare will be forever changed for the better.

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Laura Wisniewski RN BS CIC is an education specialist, member of the National Speaker’s Association and president of Nursing Voice Communications Inc. Contact Laura Wisniewski at laura@nursingvoice.com