Читать книгу Toxic Nursing, 2nd Ed - Cheryl Dellasega - Страница 38

In addition to all the cultural and religious backgrounds that can exist in one unit, educational backgrounds continue to be a major element of diversity within the nursing profession. Each individual brings experiences and knowledge to the unit regardless of education; however, in nursing, years of school is a delicate topic that some might argue fosters confusion, frustration, and bullying among new nurses and their seasoned colleagues.

Nurse managers can work with their staff to promote an environment of learning, communication, collaboration, and compromise. One nurse, while more experienced and perhaps more knowledgeable, is not automatically superior to her peers. By working together and respecting all ages and educational backgrounds, nurse managers can create a healthy working environment and offer better-quality care to their patients. The nurse manager’s challenge is to see the advantage of having a workforce of educationally diverse nurses on staff and then promote a safe, diverse working environment.

One way to begin this task is to start with the preceptors. Preceptors should be caring, informed, and proficient nurses—and overall great teachers. They must have respect for the new generations coming in as well as the knowledge and experience these “newbies” can bring to the unit. They must also know how to prepare new nurses for both the positive and negative realities of the profession and nurture their continued education for a better future. To accomplish these goals, they need to feel prepared and appreciated.

Another idea is to work closely with your new nurses during their first several months of employment. Provide them the tools they need to be successful in their career. Be their support system—make them feel comfortable discussing issues such as bullying with you. Show that you will provide them with some sort of resolution if they do share challenges such as relational aggression with you.

If we can address the source of the bullying problem, new nurse retention should greatly increase. To change the culture of aggression that may have taken root on your unit, lead the way to change. Be an advocate for your staff and provide an atmosphere of learning and gratitude. Help dismiss prejudices that exist with different educational backgrounds, and show your staff that each individual’s strengths are what makes your unit operate on a daily basis.

Fostering Cultural Change

If coworkers see each other as people as well as nurses, they are more likely to work collaboratively. Have nurses write on a small index card one “fun fact” about their hobbies, interests, or talents, along with their name. Create a Bingo type sheet with the reported fun facts in separate squares and ask new employees to find out whom they belong to. When they meet the person who matches the fun fact, they can write down their name and X out the square containing it. When they have a line of names, they can come to you and receive a small prize or check off part of their orientation list.

Alternatively, have one of your mature staff members interview newbies for some basic fun information. The interviewer can then introduce the newbie at the next group meeting. Sample interview questions include: “What do you like to do for fun?” “What made you go into nursing as a career?” and “How do you like to spend your birthday?”