Happy Friday!

We had our NTONL (North Texas Organization for Nursing Leadership) Spring Mixer yesterday. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in April around other nurse leaders. Conversational topics are the usual…staffing, the new generation of nurses, employers asking to do more with less, nursing being the catch all and responsible for lack in other departments. Let me first acknowledge that these are not every organization’s problems, but they are overarching themes within the profession of nursing as a whole.

One of the more distressing topics is the decline in the quality of patient care and outcomes. Quick side note – I worked at Intralox, LLC in Harahan, LA for about 6 years prior to entering nursing school. They are the leader in plastic modular conveyor belts. I don’t recall the exact situation, but one day, then CEO James Farley had a meeting with everyone from the production floor. He said we should believe that people are genuinely good people, wanting to do the right thing, and we should give each other the benefit of the doubt (AKA grace) until shown otherwise. My younger self was a true skeptic when it came to people and was a “you have to earn my trust” kinda gal. I realize how crazy it sounds for someone with that thought process to go into a people centric business. However, the reason I remember that talk (and shared that story) is because after becoming a leader, I know that, without a doubt, most nurses show up to work to do and be their best.

I think the disconnect is the failure to respond to the way things have changed, especially since the pandemic. There were a large number of nursing students that completed clinicals via simulations only because hospitals shut down as clinical sites. I feel like there has been no recovery for that. I feel that we (leaders) are not filling in the educational gaps (conflict resolution, effective communication, empowered decision making). We are persistent with overwhelming clinical nurses with tasks, only to get upset when they fail to utilize critical thinking skills. Why do we assume that everyone knows how to critically think? Some skills need to be taught. And don’t get me wrong, I am not oblivious to the fact that leaders fail to do these things because they are being inundated with their own tasks and professional responsibilities.

We need to STOP and RESET! The future health of our nation depends hangs in the balance. It’s great to have conversation and hear the various perspectives, but it’s time for action. I plan on working on a little something…will keep it to myself until it comes to fruition. But I know how and what I need to do to make a difference. In the meantime, I am very proud of our NTONL board and the work we are doing to keep nurse leaders inspired. Remember…it takes each of us to do at least one thing to support all of us!