Editorial
Are You “Just a Nurse?” Debbie Fraser, MN, RNC-NIC, Editor-in-Chief
Debbie Fraser, MN, RNCNIC, Athabasca University, 1 University Drive , Athabasca, AB, Canada, T9S 3A3. E-mail: [email protected] Debbie Fraser, MN, RNCNIC, is an associate professor and the director of the Nurse Practitioner program in the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. She holds an appointment in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba. Debbie maintains an active practice in the NICU at St. Boniface General Hospital and is the Editor-in-Chief of Neonatal Network: The Journal of Neonatal Nursing.
R
ecently, I h a d the pri v ilege of
hea ring Suza nne Gordon, a n award-winning journalist and coauthor of From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public, address a group of 3,000 nurses, most of them women. Her key message was the importance of nurses finding their voices, voices that can tell the public, our colleagues, and legislators about what we do and how important our role is in the health care system.1 Since I heard Suzanne’s presentation, I have been listening more carefully to the conversations around me. Some of the messages I hear suggest that neonatal nurses, like many of our colleagues across health care settings, still have work to do. For example, what do the following statements say to you?: “I’m not really sure whether or not I think the baby is having pain,” or “I’ll get someone to explain what that medication is for,” or “I’m just the charge nurse; the manager will be back on Monday.” How often have you heard, “I’m not sure but I think. . .” or “I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Smith, but I’m wondering if you could. . .”? As Suzanne points out, why are we apologizing when asking someone to do their job? Consider another common NICU scenario. Have you had the experience of listening to a nurse who is concerned about a baby in her care, and, in order to ensure she is heard, presents a “sicker” picture of her baby? Unfortunately, because this nurse lacks the confidence to present her case with authority, too often those legitimate concerns may be overlooked with knowing nods. What is the message that we want to be heard about
the work that we do? How do you react when you hear “I’m just the nurse”? Think for a moment about another very common scenario in the NICU. It’s three in the morning and the 25-week infant born yesterday is looking a little pale, oxygen is up to 40%, blood pressure mean is 24, heart rate is 170. Who is on top of these changes? Who is calling the medical staff (often apologizing for waking them up)? It’s just the nurse, who has the well-being of this baby in his or her hands. Just a nurse, who is tracking oxygen saturation, heart rate, lung volume, color, IV fluids, urine output, how the parents are doing, and what the new nurse buddy is doing next door, all while helping with a new admission. Just a nurse who has four, six, or more years of higher education, a specialty certification, memberships in one, two, or more professional organizations, and 20 years of hard-core experience. By now you no doubt are detecting the irony: this is not just a nurse. In other words, this is a multitasking expert with exquisite training, dedication, and judgment, as well as a gut sense second to none. This is the nurse, who is the person you want at the baby’s bedside when things are beginning to go wrong. So what is the message we should be giving to the world? Let’s try this script instead: we are professionals. Together we are a powerful group of health care providers who make significant contributions to the well-being of our patients and their families. Beyond the NICU, we contribute to our hospitals, our professional organizations, and our communities. We educate,
N E O N A T A L N E T W O R K VOL. 33, NO. 5, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 © 2014 Springer Publishing Company243 http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0730-0832.33.5.243
counsel, support, manage, mentor, and more. We have the knowledge, skills, and judgment inherent in being a selfregulated profession. We are dedicated to lifelong learning. We are passionate, dedicated professionals who must bring our “A” game to the bedside, day or night. We are advocates, researchers, and leaders in health care. And it’s time we find our voices to stand together, taking responsibility for the care that our team provides. It’s time to mentor our young, support our leaders, and encourage our colleagues to speak up about what it is we can do for our patients and the health care system.
REFERENCE
1. Buresh B, Gordon S. From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public. 3rd ed. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press; 2013.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014, VOL. 33, NO. 5
Are You “Just a Nurse?” Debbie Fraser, MN, RNC-NIC, Editor-in-Chief
Debbie Fraser, MN, RNCNIC, Athabasca University, 1 University Drive , Athabasca, AB, Canada, T9S 3A3. E-mail: [email protected] Debbie Fraser, MN, RNCNIC, is an associate professor and the director of the Nurse Practitioner program in the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. She holds an appointment in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba. Debbie maintains an active practice in the NICU at St. Boniface General Hospital and is the Editor-in-Chief of Neonatal Network: The Journal of Neonatal Nursing.
R
ecently, I h a d the pri v ilege of
hea ring Suza nne Gordon, a n award-winning journalist and coauthor of From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public, address a group of 3,000 nurses, most of them women. Her key message was the importance of nurses finding their voices, voices that can tell the public, our colleagues, and legislators about what we do and how important our role is in the health care system.1 Since I heard Suzanne’s presentation, I have been listening more carefully to the conversations around me. Some of the messages I hear suggest that neonatal nurses, like many of our colleagues across health care settings, still have work to do. For example, what do the following statements say to you?: “I’m not really sure whether or not I think the baby is having pain,” or “I’ll get someone to explain what that medication is for,” or “I’m just the charge nurse; the manager will be back on Monday.” How often have you heard, “I’m not sure but I think. . .” or “I’m sorry to bother you, Dr. Smith, but I’m wondering if you could. . .”? As Suzanne points out, why are we apologizing when asking someone to do their job? Consider another common NICU scenario. Have you had the experience of listening to a nurse who is concerned about a baby in her care, and, in order to ensure she is heard, presents a “sicker” picture of her baby? Unfortunately, because this nurse lacks the confidence to present her case with authority, too often those legitimate concerns may be overlooked with knowing nods. What is the message that we want to be heard about
the work that we do? How do you react when you hear “I’m just the nurse”? Think for a moment about another very common scenario in the NICU. It’s three in the morning and the 25-week infant born yesterday is looking a little pale, oxygen is up to 40%, blood pressure mean is 24, heart rate is 170. Who is on top of these changes? Who is calling the medical staff (often apologizing for waking them up)? It’s just the nurse, who has the well-being of this baby in his or her hands. Just a nurse, who is tracking oxygen saturation, heart rate, lung volume, color, IV fluids, urine output, how the parents are doing, and what the new nurse buddy is doing next door, all while helping with a new admission. Just a nurse who has four, six, or more years of higher education, a specialty certification, memberships in one, two, or more professional organizations, and 20 years of hard-core experience. By now you no doubt are detecting the irony: this is not just a nurse. In other words, this is a multitasking expert with exquisite training, dedication, and judgment, as well as a gut sense second to none. This is the nurse, who is the person you want at the baby’s bedside when things are beginning to go wrong. So what is the message we should be giving to the world? Let’s try this script instead: we are professionals. Together we are a powerful group of health care providers who make significant contributions to the well-being of our patients and their families. Beyond the NICU, we contribute to our hospitals, our professional organizations, and our communities. We educate,
N E O N A T A L N E T W O R K VOL. 33, NO. 5, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 © 2014 Springer Publishing Company243 http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0730-0832.33.5.243
counsel, support, manage, mentor, and more. We have the knowledge, skills, and judgment inherent in being a selfregulated profession. We are dedicated to lifelong learning. We are passionate, dedicated professionals who must bring our “A” game to the bedside, day or night. We are advocates, researchers, and leaders in health care. And it’s time we find our voices to stand together, taking responsibility for the care that our team provides. It’s time to mentor our young, support our leaders, and encourage our colleagues to speak up about what it is we can do for our patients and the health care system.
REFERENCE
1. Buresh B, Gordon S. From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public. 3rd ed. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press; 2013.
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