There have been several articles about burnout in the last few months. We are told that people were quiet quitting, opting out of the workforce with the “Great Resignation,” or some other euphemism to describe what it’s like working in modern day healthcare. Nurses are stretched too thin and are leaving the profession, exhausted by the long hours with an unending wave of patients coming into the doors wit little relief in sight. This is what I call, “Weapons of Mass Distraction.” These are the situations, circumstances, and events that seek to derail our progress, stop our growth, and block our joy. We use these terms and yet many times, solutions are not forthcoming. Nurses have taken to the streets with strikes, picket lines, and new stories about the unsafe working conditions in healthcare, yet sustainable change continues to be elusive. We deserve better. No more will we listen to pundits and administrators who cry budget, budget, budget, yet seem to have golden parachutes for hospital administrators (see link for highest paid hospital CEOs (https://www.beckerspayer.com/payer/the-10-highest-paid-ceos-at-publicly-traded-health-insurance-companies.html); and all the while, health systems collect billions of dollars to stuff their coffers (see link for the top hospitals by net revenue https://www.definitivehc.com/resources/healthcare-insights/top-50-hospitals-by-net-patient-revenue ). In an article by The Washington Post, it was noted that nurses are organizing to combat these staffing shortages, leaving to become travel nurses, or leaving the profession all together (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/01/14/nurses-strike-staffing-unions/ ).
We, as nurses, are tired of waiting for adequate resources and equipment, outdated technology, and the token pizza party as if that is all it takes to make things right. We need real change. Nurses, you can take control of your career now. If the place where you are working is not a suitable environment, change it. I was recently on a conversation thread where a nurse who had been in the profession for less than a year, was worried about the lack of safety on her ICU when the hospital ended the contracts of the traveling nurses they were using to staff the floor. Now, the permanent staff was left even more short-handed and the unsafe staffing ratios of 4-5 critically ill patients, was likely going to rise to 6 to 8 patients per this nurse. She was experiencing panic attacks, nightmares, and the constant fear that she would make a medication error or a mistake that would not only harm a patient, but possibly have her face civil and criminal charges. This is a reality we now face in nursing. My advice and the advice of others in our group, “Run, baby, run.” She was afraid to leave because she was told in nursing school that you should stay in a position for at least a year or you won’t get another decent job. How untrue. She was 8 months in at this point and although things were manageable when she started there, it has now become untenable. What I so wanted to say is that, you are in charge of your career. You don’t have to ask permission to make a change in your life. You can do it now.
Yes, there are things that need to change in healthcare. The poor working conditions and staffing ratios in nursing is a good place to start. But I must also recognize that I have a choice. I have choice to accept those working conditions or to move on. I can use my voice to fight. I can raise the alarm. I can apply for a higher position in the company to be a change agent. I can run for public office and make public policy mandating safe staffing ratios. I can be effective, one step at a time, by writing and visiting my legislators. I can start a movement. I can use my nursing skills and become a business owner. I can write a book to influence millions. These “Weapons of Mass Distraction” keeps us focused on what we can’t accomplish, how we can’t succeed, how much it is impossible. It is those negative thoughts that keep us trapped in our current situation, whether it’s complacency or fear. You don’t have to stay where you are! You can make a change. I did it. If you had told me when I began this adventure in my career as a nurse, that I would be a nurse practitioner, a nurse educator, a legal nurse consultant, a nurse business coach, a nurse entrepreneur, a nurse blogger, a nurse podcast host, and so much more, it would have blown my mind. I am going to blow your mind. You can be all those things and more if you choose to do so. I am issuing you a challenge to do these three things.
Go-move forward in your life and career in the direction you want to go to fulfil your dreams. Don’t let circumstances stop you from dreaming big.
Do-take action today. If you need to take a class or certification, sign up. If you want to own a business, start doing your research, look for mentors, and find a way.
Be-Walk in your calling as a professional nurse and own it. Be the nurse you always knew you could be.
The Nurse Shark Academy has information session scheduled for this month. Learn how to join The Nurse Shark Academy and start your nurse entrepreneurial journey today at https://www.thenursesharkacademy.biz/book-online.
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