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Cultivate Passion in Your Practice With the Four Rs
Commentary
Cultivate Passion in Cultivate Your PracticePassion With the Four Rs in Your MIMI POMERLEAU, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE
Practice With the Four Rs
a Mimi Pomerleau, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE, is an assistant clinical professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA, and she is the 2013 AWHONN President. DOI:10.1111/1751-486X.12016
86
© 2013, AWHONN
At last year’s AWHONN convention, Polly Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN, chief executive officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, said that she never questioned her choice of nursing as her career. Later that evening I thought about her statement and wondered whether I could honestly say the same thing. There have been times, such as when working on a holiday or when hitting the 5 a.m. slump on the night shift, or, even worse, when there was an adverse outcome with a patient, that I’ve questioned my own career choice. But as I reflect on the frustrations that are inherent to nursing, I must also consider the many positive aspects of the career, which, in comparison, always dwarf the negative ones. I’ve cherished the opportunity to participate in the birth of a child and to care for and comfort a woman through the trying times of labor. For me, the sense of satisfaction I get from helping
MIMI POMERLEAU, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE
someone while also providing the best care possible is very rewarding. On the pragmatic side, the various shifts I’ve worked over the years allowed me to balance work with home life while raising my children. The flexible hours made it possible to volunteer at my kids’ school, make it to many sporting events and after-school activities and be there to read a bedtime story. A recent report by Jackson Healthcare (2013) noted that 76 percent of nurses were satisfied with their job; however, younger nurses tended to be less satisfied. I wonder if it’s that the older nurses have learned to focus more on the positive aspects than on the frustrations. Nursing is a journey of lifelong learning about our practice and about ourselves. Keeping up to date in this ever-evolving field is vital to improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.
http://nwh.awhonn.org
Remembering Why Working with nursing students helps me remember why nursing is a career that influences health outcomes. Students, especially secondcareer students, say they chose nursing as a way to make a positive impact in someone else’s life. Second-career students often say that in their previous careers they felt stuck behind a desk with limited human interaction. They remind me that nursing combines science with deep human connection. Being a part of AWHONN also helps me remember why I chose to be a nurse. To truly make a difference, it takes the commitment and efforts of a team. Collectively, as a part of AWHONN, nurses come together to identify and adhere to standards of practice, to improve that practice though research and evidence-based guidelines and to advocate to help all nurses do what’s best for our patients. To learn and work with 25,000 other nurses who are also committed to the same mission of improving the health of women and newborns is extremely exciting.
Commentary
Maintaining and enhancing your passion for nursing requires what I call the “four Rs”: (1) Remembering why you were drawn to this field, (2) Participating in Rigorous education, (3) Reflecting on your practice and (4) Renewing your commitment.
conferences, informal networks, volunteer or service projects, networking with others and learning from our experiences, both good and bad—also called “critical incidents” as described by Gopee (2005). A commitment to lifelong learning is also addressed in AWHONN’s Standards for Professional Nursing Practice (AWHONN, 2009). Many nurses argue that it’s too expensive to attend a conference, or that there’s no time to read journals, but if you’re committed to making a difference in the health of women and newborns, then lifelong learning is essential. The more you know, the better the care you can provide. And our patients aren’t the only ones who benefit from our knowledge—so can our families and communities.
Reflecting To learn from our experiences, we must actively reflect on them to understand the meaning to our practice and our patients’ experiences. Reflecting on critical incidents is essential to understand the process and make sense of it all. To learn, it’s not enough to simply have an experience; rather, you must be aware
Nursing is a journey of lifelong learning about our practice and about ourselves
Rigorous Education On any college campus you’ll hear the common joke that the only students in the library on a Friday night are nursing students. Nursing education is a truly rigorous commitment. Students often say at the end of the licensure program that they can’t wait to be done so they can read something just for pleasure for a change. Little do they realize that the faculty weren’t joking when they portrayed nurses as lifelong learners—staying abreast of the latest information by reading professional journals, attending conventions and seeking out continuing education opportunities such as webinars are vital to providing health care that leads to the best outcomes. In one of her first editorials for this journal, editor Mary C. Brucker, PhD, CNM, FACNM, highlighted the importance of lifelong learning (Brucker, 2012). Lifelong learning includes college courses and certification programs, as well as
April | May 2013
of what you learned and how it will impact the way you think. Weaver (2010) cites Gibbs as saying, “without reflecting upon the experience it may quickly be forgotten and its learning potential lost forever. It is from the feelings and thoughts that emerge from these reflections that generalizations and concepts can be generated. It is these generalizations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively” (Weaver, 2010, p. 471). Understanding our personal biases and assumptions is the first step. Questioning the status quo and searching the evidence is critical to providing quality care. So often, a formal reflection or debrief is only done for sentinel events or adverse outcomes. This is certainly an important step, but it’s just as important to reflect on and learn from positive outcomes. It’s very motivating when you’re driving home from work feeling like your actions made a difference.
Nursing for Women’s Health
87
Conclusion Nurses are integral to our health care system, and the more engaged we are in our careers and the more we commit to staying informed of the latest evidence and trends, the better we’ll be able to care for our patients. I am passionate about being a nurse and am so because of the four Rs—by remembering why I love this field, by committing to rigorous education, by reflecting on and learning from both positive and negative outcomes and by renewing my commitment to myself and my practice on a regular basis. In addition to fostering your professional growth, I also believe that taking time for yourself is equally important. You have a commitment to yourself, your family and your patients, and finding the right balance is important. But I’m convinced that using the four Rs and committing to lifelong learning isn’t only a professional standard, it’s also a key to personal satisfaction. NWH
Nurses are integral to our health care system, and the
References
more engaged we are in our careers and the more we
AWHONN. (2009). Standards for professional nursing practice in the care of women and newborns (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
commit to staying informed of the latest evidence and trends, the better we’ll be able to care for our patients
Renewing Your Commitment The last “R” is to continually renew your commitment to yourself and your profession. I urge all nurses to develop a curiosity for learning and then put into practice what you’ve learned to improve patient outcomes. Be committed to making a difference in your own practice. A culture of learning is fostered by a drive for self-improvement and educational development (Boroswke, 2005). We learn from personal as well as professional experiences. Balance fun and relaxation with professional learning. Consider attending the national AWHONN convention or joining your local AWHONN section and attending
88
Nursing for Women’s Health
local events. Excitement for learning is supported by professional and personal networks (Gopee, 2005). AWHONN’s Standards for Professional Nursing Practice (AWHONN, 2009) address the importance of collegiality—how professional nurses interact and contribute to the professional development of peers, colleagues and other health care providers. I remember the very first national AWHONN convention I attended; I was amazed by all that I learned but felt invigorated and renewed by being in the presence of so many nurses who care about their personal missions and about AWHONN’s mission to promote the health of women and newborns.
Boroswke, K. (2005). Curiosity and motivation to learn. Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved from www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org. acrl/files/content/conferences/pdf/ borowske05.pdf Brucker, M. (2012). Lifelong learning. Nursing for Women’s Health, 16(4), 269–270. Gopee, N. (2005). Facilitating the implementation of lifelong learning in nursing. British Journal of Nursing, 14(14), 761–767. Jackson Healthcare. (2012). Vital signs 2012: A national nursing attitudes and outlook report. Alpharetta, GA: Author. Retrieved from www.jacksonhealthcare.com/media/164537/ nursestrendsreport_ebook0113_lr.pdf Weaver, D. (2010). Understanding the learning process. Nursing & Residential Care, 12(10), 470–472.
Volume 17
Issue 2
Cultivate Passion in Cultivate Your PracticePassion With the Four Rs in Your MIMI POMERLEAU, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE
Practice With the Four Rs
a Mimi Pomerleau, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE, is an assistant clinical professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA, and she is the 2013 AWHONN President. DOI:10.1111/1751-486X.12016
86
© 2013, AWHONN
At last year’s AWHONN convention, Polly Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN, chief executive officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, said that she never questioned her choice of nursing as her career. Later that evening I thought about her statement and wondered whether I could honestly say the same thing. There have been times, such as when working on a holiday or when hitting the 5 a.m. slump on the night shift, or, even worse, when there was an adverse outcome with a patient, that I’ve questioned my own career choice. But as I reflect on the frustrations that are inherent to nursing, I must also consider the many positive aspects of the career, which, in comparison, always dwarf the negative ones. I’ve cherished the opportunity to participate in the birth of a child and to care for and comfort a woman through the trying times of labor. For me, the sense of satisfaction I get from helping
MIMI POMERLEAU, DNP, RNC-OB, WHNP-BC, CNE
someone while also providing the best care possible is very rewarding. On the pragmatic side, the various shifts I’ve worked over the years allowed me to balance work with home life while raising my children. The flexible hours made it possible to volunteer at my kids’ school, make it to many sporting events and after-school activities and be there to read a bedtime story. A recent report by Jackson Healthcare (2013) noted that 76 percent of nurses were satisfied with their job; however, younger nurses tended to be less satisfied. I wonder if it’s that the older nurses have learned to focus more on the positive aspects than on the frustrations. Nursing is a journey of lifelong learning about our practice and about ourselves. Keeping up to date in this ever-evolving field is vital to improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.
http://nwh.awhonn.org
Remembering Why Working with nursing students helps me remember why nursing is a career that influences health outcomes. Students, especially secondcareer students, say they chose nursing as a way to make a positive impact in someone else’s life. Second-career students often say that in their previous careers they felt stuck behind a desk with limited human interaction. They remind me that nursing combines science with deep human connection. Being a part of AWHONN also helps me remember why I chose to be a nurse. To truly make a difference, it takes the commitment and efforts of a team. Collectively, as a part of AWHONN, nurses come together to identify and adhere to standards of practice, to improve that practice though research and evidence-based guidelines and to advocate to help all nurses do what’s best for our patients. To learn and work with 25,000 other nurses who are also committed to the same mission of improving the health of women and newborns is extremely exciting.
Commentary
Maintaining and enhancing your passion for nursing requires what I call the “four Rs”: (1) Remembering why you were drawn to this field, (2) Participating in Rigorous education, (3) Reflecting on your practice and (4) Renewing your commitment.
conferences, informal networks, volunteer or service projects, networking with others and learning from our experiences, both good and bad—also called “critical incidents” as described by Gopee (2005). A commitment to lifelong learning is also addressed in AWHONN’s Standards for Professional Nursing Practice (AWHONN, 2009). Many nurses argue that it’s too expensive to attend a conference, or that there’s no time to read journals, but if you’re committed to making a difference in the health of women and newborns, then lifelong learning is essential. The more you know, the better the care you can provide. And our patients aren’t the only ones who benefit from our knowledge—so can our families and communities.
Reflecting To learn from our experiences, we must actively reflect on them to understand the meaning to our practice and our patients’ experiences. Reflecting on critical incidents is essential to understand the process and make sense of it all. To learn, it’s not enough to simply have an experience; rather, you must be aware
Nursing is a journey of lifelong learning about our practice and about ourselves
Rigorous Education On any college campus you’ll hear the common joke that the only students in the library on a Friday night are nursing students. Nursing education is a truly rigorous commitment. Students often say at the end of the licensure program that they can’t wait to be done so they can read something just for pleasure for a change. Little do they realize that the faculty weren’t joking when they portrayed nurses as lifelong learners—staying abreast of the latest information by reading professional journals, attending conventions and seeking out continuing education opportunities such as webinars are vital to providing health care that leads to the best outcomes. In one of her first editorials for this journal, editor Mary C. Brucker, PhD, CNM, FACNM, highlighted the importance of lifelong learning (Brucker, 2012). Lifelong learning includes college courses and certification programs, as well as
April | May 2013
of what you learned and how it will impact the way you think. Weaver (2010) cites Gibbs as saying, “without reflecting upon the experience it may quickly be forgotten and its learning potential lost forever. It is from the feelings and thoughts that emerge from these reflections that generalizations and concepts can be generated. It is these generalizations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively” (Weaver, 2010, p. 471). Understanding our personal biases and assumptions is the first step. Questioning the status quo and searching the evidence is critical to providing quality care. So often, a formal reflection or debrief is only done for sentinel events or adverse outcomes. This is certainly an important step, but it’s just as important to reflect on and learn from positive outcomes. It’s very motivating when you’re driving home from work feeling like your actions made a difference.
Nursing for Women’s Health
87
Conclusion Nurses are integral to our health care system, and the more engaged we are in our careers and the more we commit to staying informed of the latest evidence and trends, the better we’ll be able to care for our patients. I am passionate about being a nurse and am so because of the four Rs—by remembering why I love this field, by committing to rigorous education, by reflecting on and learning from both positive and negative outcomes and by renewing my commitment to myself and my practice on a regular basis. In addition to fostering your professional growth, I also believe that taking time for yourself is equally important. You have a commitment to yourself, your family and your patients, and finding the right balance is important. But I’m convinced that using the four Rs and committing to lifelong learning isn’t only a professional standard, it’s also a key to personal satisfaction. NWH
Nurses are integral to our health care system, and the
References
more engaged we are in our careers and the more we
AWHONN. (2009). Standards for professional nursing practice in the care of women and newborns (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
commit to staying informed of the latest evidence and trends, the better we’ll be able to care for our patients
Renewing Your Commitment The last “R” is to continually renew your commitment to yourself and your profession. I urge all nurses to develop a curiosity for learning and then put into practice what you’ve learned to improve patient outcomes. Be committed to making a difference in your own practice. A culture of learning is fostered by a drive for self-improvement and educational development (Boroswke, 2005). We learn from personal as well as professional experiences. Balance fun and relaxation with professional learning. Consider attending the national AWHONN convention or joining your local AWHONN section and attending
88
Nursing for Women’s Health
local events. Excitement for learning is supported by professional and personal networks (Gopee, 2005). AWHONN’s Standards for Professional Nursing Practice (AWHONN, 2009) address the importance of collegiality—how professional nurses interact and contribute to the professional development of peers, colleagues and other health care providers. I remember the very first national AWHONN convention I attended; I was amazed by all that I learned but felt invigorated and renewed by being in the presence of so many nurses who care about their personal missions and about AWHONN’s mission to promote the health of women and newborns.
Boroswke, K. (2005). Curiosity and motivation to learn. Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved from www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org. acrl/files/content/conferences/pdf/ borowske05.pdf Brucker, M. (2012). Lifelong learning. Nursing for Women’s Health, 16(4), 269–270. Gopee, N. (2005). Facilitating the implementation of lifelong learning in nursing. British Journal of Nursing, 14(14), 761–767. Jackson Healthcare. (2012). Vital signs 2012: A national nursing attitudes and outlook report. Alpharetta, GA: Author. Retrieved from www.jacksonhealthcare.com/media/164537/ nursestrendsreport_ebook0113_lr.pdf Weaver, D. (2010). Understanding the learning process. Nursing & Residential Care, 12(10), 470–472.
Volume 17
Issue 2