Month: May 2017

When Your Organization’s Culture is Dead

Many things happen when your organization’s culture is dead. A lack of culture precedes a lack of direction and dissatisfaction amongst your employees. This insidiously transfers itself to your clients.

A disengaged employee is far worse than anything you can imagine in the work place- they simply do not care about anything.

If you are a nurse leader and continue to be visible and keep a pulse on the culture of your organization, you have the advantage of being proactive and better able to manage crisis before they arise as opposed to a “leader” who only chases after and constantly tries to play catch up.

Work place culture

Work place culture

Five Helpful Tips to Tell When your Organization Culture is Dead

  • Your employees are disengaged
  • There is a palpable lack of trust
  • Teamwork suffers and it’s every man for himself/ herself
  • There is little to no culture
  • Ideas are lacking and no one cares
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You Didn’t Get that Job You Wanted

Sometimes, the best interviews don’t always come back with positive responses. Everyone has been through this situation before, where the job they thought they did their best wasn’t offered to them. The interview went well, the interviewer’s seemed to like you, you liked them in return, from what you saw, you liked the work environment but you did not get the job.

It is perfectly okay to take a moment in having a pity party for your self and then picking yourself up and moving on. The problem lies not in having that pity party, but in not moving forward.

Look for other job opportunities that you think you might be suited for and even those you might not be. You never know but at least the interviewing sharpens your skills and you know what to or not look for.

Understandably, it is hard when you felt that you found the job of your dreams and that you could easily grow into only to not receive a positive response from the interviewer. It is their loss- you know what you bring to the table. Take it and move to another potential employer that would value and appreciate what you bring to the table.

Above all, don’t quit, keep moving- one foot at a time, you will soon find the perfect job fit for you and what you went through to get there, would be distant memory.

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Putting Things in Perspective- “Nursing is a Calling” or “Nursing is just a job”

What’s your perspective? To the new and not so new nurse, your perspective plays a huge role in how you view your profession. Perspective could be your cup is half empty or half-full

What’s your perspective?

How do your view nursing? How you view it can be a determinant in how you live it. Never allow anyone to make you feel guilty regardless of what perspective you choose.For some, nursing is a calling and they embrace it that way but for others, nursing is just a job and they too embrace it that way. Both sides do an equally good job. Where it becomes a problem is when one side chooses to guilt the other about not having a calling for nursing and “doing it all for money”. Remember both sides are getting paid.

Find your truth and live it. Nothing is more demoralizing or soul shattering than living a lie to impress people that you may not even like!

So to the nurse for whom nursing is a calling, continue the good work and for the nurse with nursing as a job, continue the good work. Just because a person’s perspective is different from yours, it does not make it any lesser true for them.

But to both sides, live and let live!

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For The New Nurse: It Gets Better

As a new nurse  it can be very easy to get overwhelmed and feeling like so many things coming at you from all directions. Relax, it gets better. Many a nurse has experienced the exact feelings that you are currently going through right now. It is easy for you to want to throw in the towel.

Is that something you really want to do? After all the time, money and hard work spent in nursing school, don’t give away your strength like that. Today, I am going to share 5 helpful things for you to overcome that overwhelmed feeling.

Tips on Becoming

  1. Leave work and work- The number one reason, you begin to feel overwhelmed is because you carry the invisible workload home even after your shift is ended. You fret about what you did, what you thought you didn’t do and what you might do the next shift. That is a lot of load to carry. The minute you end your shift and clock out, discipline yourself and find something else that you enjoy and do that instead.
  2. Have a social life- A lack of this means that you have too much time to think of (1) above. So in the absence of (1), find something to replace it. Hang out with friends or family or whatever your social life you enjoy doing. It is a very positive way to de-stress and rejuvenate.
  3. Share Your Work place stories- Not at your work place, but find other new nurses to talk about your “war” stories. You will be amazed to realize that things are not as bad as you think they are and it is not only you.
  4. Take Notes: if you haven’t already, get organized. You will find that when you take notes and write down the tasks you need to accomplish before your shift is over. You won’t feel so overwhelmed, plus you will know that exact not-so-high-priority tasks that did not get done and that you can pass on to the next shift. Remember, nursing is a 24-hour job.
  5. Learn to say no: No one else will do it for you. Be polite but learn to stand up for yourself. Not standing up is what makes you feel like you can’t do it, but knowing that you can, gives you confidence and inspires you more.

Lastly, know that other nurses have been through the same as you. Some came close to giving up, but most stayed behind and took it one day at a time. It only got easier as skills and expertise got better. And it will for you too as well. Be patient and hang in there.

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Nursing Student, You Can Still Have Social Life

Common MisconceptionAs a nurse, a nursing student or family member of either, you have probably heard the comment about no longer having a social life. Relax, that is not true and has never been true. As a nursing student, you DO still have a social life much of it is dependent on how organized you plan your life. I am going to share some helpful tips for that nursing student to find and have a social life.

Things you will need are an organizer  or daily planner and something to write with. And if you are the visual kind of person, get yourself a white board!

Three Tips on getting organized and having a social life in Nursing School

  1. Schedule events ahead of time- There is something about pre-planning that puts your mind at rest. if you know that you have already scheduled it, nature helps you find a way to make out time for that event.
  2. Study Ahead of Time:  Be proactive. At the same of nursing school, you already have a heads-up about your class schedule, tests and activities. Don’t wait till last minute before you begin studying, it only adds stress and panic to you.
  3. Be protective of your time: Use the Pareto Principle here. Concentrate 20% of your time on the most important things that would result in 80% productivity. Don’t spread yourself thin doing so many little tasks that amount to little or nothing. Focus on the three most important!

So nursing student, you can still have a social life. Just plan ahead and focus on the tasks that matter!

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