My staff educator thinks I should do some of the clinical in-services. How do I find the time with all the things I am expected to do already?
If the DON role is to coach, teach and mentor his or her staff, teaching speaks for itself. There is no better way to get across your expectations of your staff than if you teach them yourself.
Teaching has many benefits, such as the opportunity to get to know your staff better and for them to learn more about you.
You might want to start on a subject that you feel comfortable teaching that isn’t lengthy. Preparation is always important because your staff will watch you closely, just to know that you really know how to roll up your sleeves and do patient care.
The rewards of teaching are too numerous to count. Put aside some of that other “stuff” to work with staff on patient care.
I have a new nurse who thinks she knows all there is to know about nursing and doesn’t like criticism. How would you suggest I deal with this?
There is no place in nursing for arrogance. I would recommend sitting down with this nurse and asking about how she feels she is doing in her in the learning process as a nurse. Ask about in-service attendance, who she seeks out in the facility to help with the questions that arise, and to identify areas on which she still needs to focus.
Those of us who have been nursing for some time know that we need each other professionally to help each other grow. Ask this nurse about her short-term and long-term goals, and to talk about how she plans to reach her goals.
Ask her what the term “humility” means and how it might relate to nursing practice.
If this doesn’t steer her in a direction of teamwork, just flat out tell her that there is just no room for arrogance and to think about how she might change her attitude.
From the July 01, 2008 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
