Find the hat that fits!

Wow...it's been a while!
For those of you that have been following my blog, I want to say that I very much appreciate it, and hope you find sone good out of it. Also, I want to apologize for not posting in over a week...life gets busy, and you know the rest.

And, for a bit of an "FYI", I do blog from my iPod sometimes, which limits my editing and spellcheck abilities somewhat. So, if some of my posts appear a little rough, you know why. I will polish them up eventually, but please know my intent is well-meaning!!

Anyway....

So I have a lot of colleagues, friends, that are going through a bit of a rough patch in their careers. That is, they just aren't happy. I understand their feelings, I really do. I hate to see anyone frustrated with their jobs; especially in healthcare. As nurses, we are positioned in a very challenging, and very crucial, role. Or more appropriately, "roles." Hildegard Peplau felt nurses serve many roles, including technician, counselor, surrogate, and several more. Nursing is not a single act. It combines many roles together, each one unique, yet essential. As nurses, we often find ourselves performing many of these roles simultaneously...and not even know it...or perhaps not even understand its importance.

For example, as a NICU nurse, I often found myself wearing about every hat you could possibly wear...many times simultaneously. I could be speaking with parents of a premature baby, telling them about how their child adapts to his or her environment, how the ventilator is helping them to "breathe", assisting the parents with holding/changing a diaper, manipulating ventilator settings based on the baby's response to the stimuli, and listening to the parents' fears, concerns, and hopes. This all occurs in a matter of minutes, or even seconds, and yet I have "worn" many different hats. So what does that have to do with you??? Well I hope a lot!

If you enjoy your job, then that is awesome, and I hope you continue to do so for a long time to come. If you are at a point in your career/life where you are not so happy, then that is where my point comes in to play. Your environment does not define you or limit your options. Do not become quickly disillusioned that you are "stuck", or that you don't want to do it any longer. We all have those moments when we look at our jobs, at our daily routines, and feel "less-than-enthusiastic" about it. I believe it is in these difficult times we do our most important thinking and reflecting. What would make me happy? What would I be happy doing? Am I challenged enough...or maybe too much right now? The only person that can answer these questions is the one asking them.

We are very fortunate to be nurses. We are the most trusted profession in the nation...in the world! We are there for people at their worst, during critical times in their lives, using our skills, or training, or knowledge...but most importantly, we offer ourselves. There is no substitute for a warm touch or an open ear. Technology can never replace the tremendous impact one human being can have on another. It is because of the many hats we wear that we are so valuable, so important, so unique. We are adaptable creatures. We can take our skills just about anywhere and be fine. But what about our passion? What about the thing that motivates us to do our very best, to give our all everyday? Maybe some are better "technicians" than "counselors"...or vice versa. It is when we reflect back on our roughest days and say, "I still love my job" that we know we are where we are "suppose to be."

Maybe you have had some bad days at work. Maybe you are feeling like you are having more bad than good. Your body is telling you something; listen closely to what it is saying. We are capable of wearing many different hats...maybe you are not wearing the right ones. If your heart is not in it, it will show. How can we effectively connect with others if we first cannot connect with ourselves? And, very importantly, we must stop thinking in "linear" terms.

As nurses, we work in a very complex system, locally and globally. Connections and relationships do not behave in a predictable manner, as they often do in linear mindsets. The whole point of complex adaptive systems is that we cannot know the end result... we cannot k ow how one thing will affect the next. In more relative terms, we cannot see our career play out before our eyes. We never know what kind of opportunity the next challenge brings. We will experience those "turning points" in our careers that will have unforeseen impacts in your life. You never know where a day can take you.

So, if you find yourself unhappy, just switch hats, until you find the one that fits the best! And no matter what, please know that you do have an impact on a much larger scale than you may be aware. Hang in there, stay focused on the patient, and stay connected!

Thank you.

Steve