After moving into our new building this week, I realized how rooted I have been in my patterns and my environment. I had been in the same office for 17 years. Although the move was simple; emotionally and physically I still feel a little out of place. That’s what inspired me to write this article. As they say, the only things certain are death and taxes. But now there is a third thing: change! Oddly, “change is constant” in that is happening in and around us at all times. Every cell in … [Read more...]
5 Steps To Be Empowered At Work
Here’s your checkoff list to become empowered in your profession: Create empowering beliefs Your beliefs create your results. To paraphrase Henry Ford’s observation: “If you think you can, you can … if you think you can’t, you can’t! Either way, you’re right.” I would prefer to be right on the side of “I think I can.” If you’re blaming things on not enough staff, no support from management, not enough time to complete the tasks and such, that’s exactly what you are … [Read more...]
Are You A Good Samaritan
Recently I was on an airplane when a passenger became very ill and went to the restroom. A flight attendant asked if there was any health professional available to provide help. My first thought was “Oh, no. I haven’t practiced in years! Do I really want to get involved? And, if I do, can I get sued if I try to help.” After a few quick moments, my heart went out to this poor person in need. No one else seemed to be getting up to help so I rose from seat. Fortunately, there was one … [Read more...]
Every Nurse Needs a Mentor
… and, in fact, it’s not just nurses but everybody! I have several mentors and coaches who guide me in my law practice. Even though I’ve been a lawyer for 25 years, mentors always have new insights to help. Many nurses get caught up in the norms of their unit with the “we’ve-always-done-it-this-way” syndrome. If you are a new nurse, you may not know that this is not proper. You may get a bothersome gut feeling but you’re too timid or afraid to say something. You’re just going with the flow … [Read more...]
My View on “The View”
Normally I am neither one to get on a bandwagon nor to comment on anything negative. Though I hesitated to write this article, I found myself so moved by the response of nurses to a recent broadcast of the television discussion program called “The View” that I felt compelled to write this. I watched last week’s broadcast of the Miss USA Pageant when Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson, performed a moving monologue about her nursing experiences with one particular Alzheimer’s patient. It made me so … [Read more...]
