Norma - These are the Things I've Learned

Norma -







I have a nursing degree and an education degree. Most of my career has been in education and administration. I regret I haven’t had more direct bedside experience. As a director and an educator, I’m considered a “white coat.” According to nurses, white coats don’t do real jobs, they do education. There’s a certain lack of respect because I haven’t been in the trenches.

I’m slowly moving my career into coaching, particularly with nurses. Coaching can be a real blessing to the health care field. Health care organizations are hiring coaches and organizational development specialists to teach their people to work together. Health care workers provide so much care and support for their patients, but health care hasn’t historically been a work environment that fosters care and support of its workers. Because the system is broken, it is wonderful organizations are finally seeing the contributions coaches can make toward fixing the problem.

Most of the nurses I work with don’t feel respected. The disrespect comes mostly from other nurses and I grieve about that. Its sad nurses would have such low regard for each other.“I’d like to see nurses develop the capacity to feel secure in each other’s capacity – to enjoy and acknowledge each other’s successes.” They should be there to lift each other up. Nurses alienate each other. I see the numbers that say a million nurses are needed and I see how we’re robbing developing countries to fill the nursing needs here, yet we don’t do things to make sure nursing has a good reputation. I’m often asked if I would recommend nursing as a career choice. I do on some levels, but I’m also very guarded about my recommendation because I know the strength new nurses will need in order to survive.

There’s a gap in the health care system. Nurses have abilities and knowledge and courage to provide quality care for patients. But health care organizations don’t tap into all the skills nurses possess, so the power rests elsewhere. Nurses aren’t recognized for what they can bring to the table, and it becomes apparent as early as nursing school. Not everybody who enters nursing school has the feeling of being powerless from the beginning. It happens somewhere in the nursing education process.

I would like to see the nursing profession become whole. By whole I mean healthy and secure in itself, where every nurse recognizes their gifts, strengths and wisdom. They bring strength to their organization and a strong, caring and wise voice. It will take education to bring power to nurses and the education needs to be in school or after school, over the long term, either one nurse at a time, or with a group moving forward together. The change that needs to happen is at the pith, the core the foundation of the way a nurse views herself and his or her own power and contribution.

It’s also something that can come from the top down. I know a phenomenal nurse manager who took the time to learn as much as possible about organizational development, and then shared her knowledge with her staff. She had a very high-functioning team. She was successful because she encouraged everyone who worked with her to be successful. She wanted her staff to be knowledgeable, because the more they knew the better care they gave to the patients and to each other. So many nurses think, “If I acknowledge you are doing well, I’m taking something away from myself. I can’t enjoy your success because your success may make me less than you.” I’d like to see nurses develop the capacity to feel secure in each other’s capacity – to enjoy and acknowledge each other’s successes. Once that starts happening, nursing can become whole and nurses can bring heart back into their environment and their profession.

Power Strategies: Respect, Power, Calm
go back to main page