Feeling inspired.
Recently, I was selected to be part of a team that is charged with helping our staff improve patient satisfaction scores. At first I was flattered, then I was skeptical, now I'm inspired and excited!
Have you ever imagined the perfect job and the work you'd love to do if only someone would realize that this would be the perfect fit for you? In moments of frustration and burn out I have dreamt of working to improve staff relations and morale. Well, little did I know that the opportunity would eventually come along.
How often do you get handed the opportunity to be an agent for positive change? Someone says,"Here's an opportunity and we will back you all the way," kind of thing? So far it's happened to me once.
Nursing is a hard job. We're on the front lines of patient care and in recent years things have only gotten crazier. Our patients are sicker and the demands on our time have increased. But people haven't changed. They still come into the hospital feeling vulnerable and stressed. They still need the human touch and connection. Many of us went into nursing because it offered us the opportunity to make a difference in our patient's lives. Making that connection has gotten harder over time.
So here's my challenge. Things are not going to slow down appreciably. We've got to find a way to shift our energy back to the patient and still give excellent safe care. In the mix we've got to make our staff feel more whole so that they can come to work feeling that they have something to give. No small task.
