Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC

I was taking a drive this weekend on a lovely fall like day and saw a classic car go by that reminded me of my first car. It was a big old beater that I had waited for, as it had been my mom’s, than my older sister’s, then finally mine.

This big old boat had nothing “power.” As a matter of fact, you actually built muscles parallel parking! I called my mom to reminisce about that car. She said she misses it as now her triceps (her “flippers,” as she calls them) hang down so badly she’s afraid she might put her arm over her head at night and suffocate in her sleep.

Seriously, as hard as it was to park that thing, I had these amazing arms! So worth it.

I also remember going to the kitchen, grabbing a glass, running the water from the faucet till it got cool and filling the glass. There was no designer bottled water to snatch from the fridge, but that cool tap water after a day of playing in the summer sun or a day doing chores was soooo worth it! 

Back in the day, coffee would take at least 15 minutes to perk if you wanted a great cup. But boy, again, was it worth the wait!

So where in the world am I going with this? It’s just that sometimes, you have to invest your time and work for what is worth achieving. Not everything, even in this day and age of instant gratification is going to come easily. And this includes many of the new skills we are going to have to learn to evolve with the changes in healthcare. 

As managers, we need to be patient with our staff and use our time to mentor and teach. As staff, we have to try to not get frustrated when a new skill takes time to master.

Think about how you spend your time: Are binging an entire Netflix series over your weekend off or spending time learning a new skill that will help you grow in your career?

Everyone has the same amount of hours in a week (168 to be exact). But are you spending some of them to maximize your potential — working at something — or complaining because others are getting recognized or noticed for capitalizing on their time?

Find that balance in your life. Sure, you should enjoy your personal time, but I also advocate growing in your personal time. The hard work is so worth it. And your brain might even get muscles!

Just keeping it real,

Nurse Jackie

The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. She has not starred in her own national television series — yet. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.