"Nurses create care" is a perfect statement. After reading your article, all I could think of was the various duties I do that were not discussed in nursing school. I often am a counselor, support person, TV and bed fixer, dietician, along with regular nursing duties. The list is even more extensive in a nursing home where nurses often have to be all and do all. The upside of this is most patients love their nurse. We are a popular bunch despite the current dysfunctional healthcare system. Welcome back to the US. Elaine Robinson
I love your description of your job, Elaine! Also, everything you list is care of one form or another--including sitting and listening and trying to get the TV to work (been there--not my strong suit). Thank you also for pointing that nurses are popular, despite how negatively many people feel about our health care system overall. That's important, and power I would love for nursing organizations to use and build on. Hugs!
I remember reading an article about "how do we capture the care nursing gives" in terms of charting. An exhaustive workflow scenario to capture the ROI of a nurse, I believe, was the purpose of the exercise. I read it years ago, but I remember the conclusion being basically: you can't. Because there's so much that we do that cannot be captured in a charge router. The burnout is real, and it doesn't take long to feel it (average graduate lasts maybe two years, now?). And the abuse from patients and upper management is no joke.
Hi Ava! I just signed up for your newsletter. Very exciting! Your comment is excellent--abuse from patients and upper management is no joke, indeed. There is so much that nurses do, and we have to be prepared to turn on a dime, from treating someone's pain, to catching vomit, to suddenly talking over someone's terrible diagnosis. I loved that about the work and found it utterly exhausting when I wasn't supported. Thank you!
I started my first class with new PhD students by asking them to define nursing in 25 words or less. It was fruitful for me to do that, myself, every year.
Wow! That is an excellent idea. It would be so cool if undergrad nursing classes started the same way. Imagine if nursing students were asked to reflect on "What or who is a nurse" in 25 words or less. Think how their definitions would change as they progressed in their education. Wonderful!
This piece was particularly thought-provoking, Theresa. As I reflected on what you wrote, I recall a conversation I've had multiple times with my daughter, a West Point grad and career Army officer who's had significant exposure to warrant officers and master sergeants throughout her 17+ years of service. She always tells me that frankly, those individuals make the "real Army" function on a day-to-day basis, and without them there would be disorganization and chaos. Or as she puts it bluntly, "they get sh**t done". We doctors come up with therapies of various types, but it is the nurse caring for each of our patients who makes that plan happen in a very real and practical way through clinical coordination, then following through with all parties involved to ensure completion. When seen in that light, the work of a nurse is central to the healthcare system and requires the support commensurate with such a critical function.
Hi Lou--I really like the comparison with your daughter and how the Army works. Nurses are also recognized as people who "get sh**t done" as you know. (It sounds like your daughter and I would get along!). So often I hear nurses and doctors set up in opposition to each other, rather than as colleagues who complement each other. Neither of us could do the job without the other and working with good docs is pure joy. Here's to giving credit where credit is due, in health care and beyond.
I love your definition! Nurses do create care, by paying attention, taking time, and treating patients as whole people. Seeing the humanity in the patient is crucial for helping them to heal.
Agree 100%. I was also making a technical point--that doctors diagnose and decide on treatment plans, but it's nurses who put those plans into action. This aspect of nurses' work often gets lost because most people see the humanity that nurses add to care. Humanity is super important, but so are nurses' clinical skills.
"Nurses create care" is a perfect statement. After reading your article, all I could think of was the various duties I do that were not discussed in nursing school. I often am a counselor, support person, TV and bed fixer, dietician, along with regular nursing duties. The list is even more extensive in a nursing home where nurses often have to be all and do all. The upside of this is most patients love their nurse. We are a popular bunch despite the current dysfunctional healthcare system. Welcome back to the US. Elaine Robinson
I love your description of your job, Elaine! Also, everything you list is care of one form or another--including sitting and listening and trying to get the TV to work (been there--not my strong suit). Thank you also for pointing that nurses are popular, despite how negatively many people feel about our health care system overall. That's important, and power I would love for nursing organizations to use and build on. Hugs!
Glad you are back Theresa! 🙏❤️
Awww. Thanks, Will. Me, too!
I remember reading an article about "how do we capture the care nursing gives" in terms of charting. An exhaustive workflow scenario to capture the ROI of a nurse, I believe, was the purpose of the exercise. I read it years ago, but I remember the conclusion being basically: you can't. Because there's so much that we do that cannot be captured in a charge router. The burnout is real, and it doesn't take long to feel it (average graduate lasts maybe two years, now?). And the abuse from patients and upper management is no joke.
Hi Ava! I just signed up for your newsletter. Very exciting! Your comment is excellent--abuse from patients and upper management is no joke, indeed. There is so much that nurses do, and we have to be prepared to turn on a dime, from treating someone's pain, to catching vomit, to suddenly talking over someone's terrible diagnosis. I loved that about the work and found it utterly exhausting when I wasn't supported. Thank you!
I started my first class with new PhD students by asking them to define nursing in 25 words or less. It was fruitful for me to do that, myself, every year.
Wow! That is an excellent idea. It would be so cool if undergrad nursing classes started the same way. Imagine if nursing students were asked to reflect on "What or who is a nurse" in 25 words or less. Think how their definitions would change as they progressed in their education. Wonderful!
This piece was particularly thought-provoking, Theresa. As I reflected on what you wrote, I recall a conversation I've had multiple times with my daughter, a West Point grad and career Army officer who's had significant exposure to warrant officers and master sergeants throughout her 17+ years of service. She always tells me that frankly, those individuals make the "real Army" function on a day-to-day basis, and without them there would be disorganization and chaos. Or as she puts it bluntly, "they get sh**t done". We doctors come up with therapies of various types, but it is the nurse caring for each of our patients who makes that plan happen in a very real and practical way through clinical coordination, then following through with all parties involved to ensure completion. When seen in that light, the work of a nurse is central to the healthcare system and requires the support commensurate with such a critical function.
Amen!
Hi Lou--I really like the comparison with your daughter and how the Army works. Nurses are also recognized as people who "get sh**t done" as you know. (It sounds like your daughter and I would get along!). So often I hear nurses and doctors set up in opposition to each other, rather than as colleagues who complement each other. Neither of us could do the job without the other and working with good docs is pure joy. Here's to giving credit where credit is due, in health care and beyond.
I love your definition! Nurses do create care, by paying attention, taking time, and treating patients as whole people. Seeing the humanity in the patient is crucial for helping them to heal.
Agree 100%. I was also making a technical point--that doctors diagnose and decide on treatment plans, but it's nurses who put those plans into action. This aspect of nurses' work often gets lost because most people see the humanity that nurses add to care. Humanity is super important, but so are nurses' clinical skills.