Rob - Making Connections

Rob -







I never stop learning. I’m also great at networking. The two go hand in hand. Networking provides new resources and avenues to explore. I tend to know everything that is going on in the hospital, simply because I talk to people. I use my network to educate myself to do my job better. I thirst for knowledge, and because I’ve created a large network I always know who to call if I don’t know the right answer. Knowledge gives me the power to both influence patients and improve their outcomes.

I strive for excellence every day. I continue to read and learn about different areas of health care. When I work on the cardiac floor, I read books about cardiac care. If I work in orthopedics, then I research orthopedics.

I also make a point of sharing my knowledge. Recently I took it upon myself to help three new nurses. I made sure they got their needs met and understood the process and procedures on the hospital floor.“Saying hello to someone immediately makes you approachable.” Normally that would be someone else’s job – but I took it on because it was important to me. I wanted to both ensure the nurses would want to stay, but also to share with them everything I know to be good nurses. If students are on the floor, I let them know that I’m there for them and want to help them fit in.

I am passionate about making sure the patient and family understand the health problem at hand, what to expect and how to know if there is a complication or problem. I sit down to talk with them so I’m seeing them eye-to-eye; I don’t stand over them. I discuss their care, what they can expect the outcome to be, and I ask them what we should do for them that we aren’t currently doing. I strive to give people the knowledge and ability to understand their bodies and take care of themselves. I also try to motivate them to take care of themselves. One of the reasons I pursued a masters degree is to become a better advocate for others.

I’ve taken on some other teaching roles in my job. I am a Joint Camp instructor. In the camp I prepare hip and knee replacement patients for their surgery. I teach them about pain management, physical therapy, and discharge procedures. When they arrive at the hospital, they know exactly what to expect from their surgery.

As a Spirit at Work representative, I go to different departments and teach employees how to interact with patients, family and other staff. I teach them to introduce themselves to whomever is on the floor, whether it’s a VP, a doctor, or someone else. I encourage them to make connections.

Many people don’t realize, and I actually didn’t realize it until about five years ago, that a connection is made simply by saying “hi” to a person. People naturally like to connect, but if they don’t know how to do it, they appreciate someone who does. Saying hello to someone immediately makes you approachable. It says, “I’m open to talking with you further.” Nurses who float have the hardest time because they don’t know anyone and they want people to trust their knowledge – so they don’t want to ask for help. I make a point of walking up to them, and introducing myself. “How are you doing? What can I do for you? I’m here to help you.”

Once a nurse came up to me and asked if I remembered her. I didn’t. She told me, “You really made a difference in my shift.” She was a float and all I did was say “hi” to introduce myself and to let her know she was welcome on the floor. She said she felt that I cared about her. I let her know I was available if she had any questions or problems. She remembered, and she felt I made a difference. That touched my heart.

I befriend everyone. It’s really important to touch people, whether it’s physically, emotionally or just by conversation. It makes a difference. If we bring everyone together inside, then teamwork is stronger and there is less adversity.

The way nurses interact with people is critical to quality health care. In my hospital, the core values we seek in staff are reverence, integrity, compassion, and a commitment to daily excellence. Every day is not perfect, but the concepts need to be embodied by everyone. Everyone is engaged with patients, families, doctors and other staff. My hospital has a couple of screening tools to make sure the people we hire have the values we embrace.

Now that I have my masters, some people expect me to go into teaching. That may be something I consider for the future, but for now the challenge is being a supportive nurse. I’m very caring, sensitive and understanding. That may not be a common trait for a male, but I’ve always been this way and working with people who are the same has further developed those skills. My skills are best used in patient care, patient and staff motivation, and informal education. I enjoy being in the core of the health care system.

Power Strategies: Connection, Teaching, Learning
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