Thoughtful conversation about the nursing profession
I’ve been thinking about the title change and its significance. I was active in promoting the change to NM and now wonder about it. In particular, are Nurse Managers still in charge of nursing? Or are they in charge of management? What do you think? When the title was Head Nurse was the role clearer? Your comments, please.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to post on the blog more often and use it for the kind of conversations that promote healthy interactions and pride in our profession.
One way I want to do that is to encourage nurses to reflect deeply on the meaning of our work, as the connection to our deepest values helps energize our work. It is rewarding to an individual nurse to appreciate deeply the privilege we have in alleviating pain and increasing comfort at any and all levels of our patient’s vulnerabilities. Experiencing this intrinsic reward is important for each nurse’s self-care.
Another goal I have is to keep bringing up certain realities about staffing I call these “hidden truths” that need to be acknowledged and understood by nurses and by the system.
More of my thinking on this topic is in Creative Nursing Journal, Vol 15, Number 2, 2009. The article is entitled, A Brief Compendium of Curious and Peculiar Aspects of Nursing Resource Management. It is time for staff nurses to quit driving to work fearing they will be short-staffed and driving home at the end of their shift angry because there wasn’t enough help.
Finally, I encourage you to view this short video. It is meaningful for nurses and people at many different levels of being.
Happy New Year!
Marie Manthey's Nursing Salon