How to be "THAT" Nurse

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 Welcome to the Life and Scrubs podcast, a podcast hosted by nurses for nurses.

spk_0 I'm Kristen, a cardiothoracic telly nurse, and I'm Maddie, a CVIC uners.

spk_0 Our goal is to bring both of our perspectives together to inspire, educate, and empower

spk_0 future and current nurses as they navigate the world of nursing.

spk_0 Join us weekly as we use our insights and experiences to share the raw and honest truth

spk_0 about nursing. Answer your most common questions and dive into all things, Life and Scrubs.

spk_0 Hey guys, welcome back to another week of the Life and Scrubs podcast.

spk_0 This week is just Kristen and I. We've had a couple weeks of guests and we thought,

spk_0 you know, we'll just pop on just the two of us this week.

spk_0 Gonna mix it up a little bit, right? I mean, we gotta have some guests, but yet we gotta have

spk_0 some content of just us now. So it's nice. It's fun to be back just the two of us with some

spk_0 content. So it's gonna be good. Yeah, and we were contemplating on what topic we were gonna do

spk_0 this week. We wanted to talk a little bit originally about nursing school and the start of nursing

spk_0 school since it's officially August. And most nursing schools around the country are about to

spk_0 start whether you're going in for, you know, your first semester or you're going in any other

spk_0 semester following. I know a lot of schools don't do just for semesters anymore, but I feel like

spk_0 majority of the people are going in right now as their first semester or a lot of people just

spk_0 finished and they're about to start their new job. So that's why we thought it could be fun to

spk_0 talk a little bit about being that coworker. And we know what that coworker is, that person that

spk_0 you can depend on, you're happy to work with, you're happy to get report from. Oh my gosh.

spk_0 Yes, that we just compile a list of all of our favorite characteristics from the coworker that we

spk_0 love the most. Well, let's get us started. Like, I mean, so what is it? What makes you that

spk_0 coworker? So one of the first things we thought of is basically healthcare in general, it's a team

spk_0 sport. Like communication, for instance, is huge. I don't mean that just amongst the nurses on the

spk_0 unit, but just with the healthcare team. So I feel like with the doctors, with the respiratory

spk_0 therapists, with the case management, I feel like that needs to be something big with everyone

spk_0 with the healthcare team. And just being that coworker that you know has that good communication

spk_0 skills, you know? Absolutely. I think healthcare in general, like you said, is a team sport. And I

spk_0 think that a lot of people struggle in their current positions that when they're like, hey, I don't

spk_0 like my job, I am not fulfilled. A lot of it stems from the people that you work with. Not in all

spk_0 scenarios, but I think a lot of the scenarios are, hey, are the people that you work with, you feel

spk_0 supported by them? Do you feel like you can make it through a shift with those people? Because

spk_0 majority of us do work 12 hour shifts. And that's a long time to be spending with someone that you

spk_0 one, don't feel like support you or two, you can't really depend on them vice versa. Right? Yeah, it is,

spk_0 it is a team sport. And whether you're in rounds, whether you have to work with other nurses,

spk_0 you have to work with your charge nurses, your doctors, you have to be able to communicate with them.

spk_0 So I absolutely agree with that. And also just having each other's backs because a lot of times

spk_0 patients are not always going to be the most sort of looking for open to what you have to say. I

spk_0 yes, compliant. I'll say, so you have to be able to depend on your co-workers, say you go in,

spk_0 and this happens a lot in our unit where the primary nurse will go in and try to diffuse a situation

spk_0 or try to get a task done and a bad report in some way has been made with this patient between

spk_0 this nurse. And so then they have to say, hey, is there anyone else who can go in and draw these

spk_0 bed sheets for me because this patient has decided that, you know, I don't want this nurse anymore

spk_0 for XYZ. And that's when you need to be able to have those co-workers that you can depend on.

spk_0 So absolutely think that that is one of the biggest things to be able to be that nurse is be

spk_0 dependable, be approachable and be willing to help the people around you.

spk_0 I think that that word in general, like you just said, be approachable is a huge thing because

spk_0 there's many times I've seen nurses where they don't want to go ask someone for help,

spk_0 even if they are available because it's like they just know by asking them, they're immediately

spk_0 going to just, you know, give them a look or give them kind of like, I'm busy or a sigh or something.

spk_0 So you don't want to be that way, right? You want to be that co-worker that if they come to ask you

spk_0 anything, doesn't matter how busy you are, be like, yeah, I got it. You know, maybe I'll finish what

spk_0 I'm doing with my task. If I have the moment, I'm going to come help you if they're too busy,

spk_0 see if someone else is, but definitely be that co-worker that's approachable.

spk_0 Be there to help any of your co-workers if they're needing it at that time. So so important.

spk_0 Yeah. And when you're looking for a job as well, not to take a too big of a tangent here, but when

spk_0 you're looking for a job, feel out the environment, especially if they give you a tour of the unit,

spk_0 try to talk to the nurses that are there. If you work in the hospital already and you have a

spk_0 connection to be able to reach out to some of those nurses or even just walk down and talk to them,

spk_0 ask them like, how is the vibe on the unit? Do people help each other? Are people hostile?

spk_0 That's a big thing. I feel like when looking for a job, but I'm very fortunate at the job I work at,

spk_0 that everyone is a team player and everyone enjoys helping each other out and we make sure that

spk_0 nobody is rounding on their own in the corner. Right. So as those people, if you're someone that

spk_0 you're thinking about right now, like, oh, I'm currently working on a unit where I don't feel like

spk_0 this is applicable or you're someone who's looking for a job or even you're just a nursing school and

spk_0 you're in your rotations, be that nursing student. All of these things can apply in any scenario as

spk_0 long as you are, like we said, approachable, helpful, open to learning, across the board, it can work.

spk_0 Yeah, I was just going to add to that just like you said, Maddie, if you're a nursing student,

spk_0 even if you're not a practicing nurse now, if you're a nursing student and you're going to a

spk_0 clinical rotation and you know it's going to be a unit you want to work on, maybe at this particular

spk_0 hospital, maybe or maybe a different hospital, ask them, what is this unit like? Do you guys work as

spk_0 a team? Do you feel like you're supported? So even just if you're a student, those are questions you

spk_0 want to ask on a unit, for sure. Yes, for sure. Okay, a couple things that on the list that we added,

spk_0 that things that I enjoy being able to do for my co-workers slash things that I very, very

spk_0 much appreciate when my co-workers do for me. So one of them is making sure you're not the nurse

spk_0 who is just on their own finishes their own tasks and then sits on their phone while everyone

spk_0 else around them is just drowning because there's nothing more frustrating than being that nurse that's

spk_0 like you're just drowning and you feel like you cannot get caught up on anything and you look over

spk_0 and a nurse is just like sitting on their phone scrolling through Instagram or you know whatever it is.

spk_0 Yep. And you're just like boiling inside because you're like, can you help please?

spk_0 And I think a lot of that comes down to a saying that we have on our unit is anticipate the needs

spk_0 of your neighbor. And if you've been a long time listener, I'm sure I've said that at some point

spk_0 before because that's a huge thing that I just value that our unit does. But it's one of those

spk_0 things where you're like anticipate the needs. Like if you have an easier assignment and you, you can

spk_0 know, you can see people around you, you can see the patients, you can see the meds they're on,

spk_0 you can see how frequently people are getting up, walking in the rooms, answering call lights,

spk_0 you know, having to do all these different tasks. So if you're someone who's like, hey,

spk_0 maybe my assignment is a little bit on the lighter side. Anticipate those needs. Say, hey,

spk_0 you know, I see that you have a lot going on right now. What can I do to help? What can I do to

spk_0 lighten the load? Oh yeah. Yeah. I would say a lot of that too is just knowing like, hey, you're

spk_0 getting an admin. Okay, let me, maybe I can go help set up your room for you. Or, you know,

spk_0 do you want me to print something off for you to help? Do you want me to get some labels for you?

spk_0 Do you want me, if you're getting report, do you want me to give some meds to your other patient?

spk_0 It's all about just anticipating and thinking ahead of if you were in that position,

spk_0 what are things that you would want to be helped with? Yeah, I mean, it's so true. The hospital I

spk_0 worked up before beginning when we would have our little like huddle before we would start shift.

spk_0 Usually we would get our assignments. And if there was a nurse that was going to have a heavier

spk_0 assignment, they would even let us know and say, hey, you know, they have a heavy assignment today.

spk_0 So if you guys have a moment, please help her with whatever she needs so that we were aware from

spk_0 the very beginning of shift. So if you do have those down moments, you can definitely help them

spk_0 with the heavier patients. And like you said, Manny, as well, like anticipating everyone's needs,

spk_0 it's so important. Especially if you notice that one of your co-workers is drowning or maybe

spk_0 one of their patients is starting to go downhill, assisting them. What do you need? What do you want

spk_0 me to grab for you? What can I, you know, do for your other patients if your co-workers have

spk_0 an ideal with their one patient? It's being that co-worker, it's being that go-getter. Like, you

spk_0 should not have to have someone tell you to help someone else on your team. You should just want

spk_0 to be that oriented of just doing it and not having to be told if that makes sense.

spk_0 Yes, that is a huge thing too. And I think a lot of newer nurses, at least I did as a new nurse,

spk_0 I struggled with asking for help, not in a sense of, you know, I felt like I could do it all because

spk_0 I knew I couldn't, but I also felt like I was, I didn't want to be inconvenient for other people.

spk_0 And I didn't want other people to think that I couldn't handle it either. Yeah,

spk_0 especially when you're originally on your own, you're like, well, I can't ask like, can they do

spk_0 this for me right now? When you, especially delegating simpler tasks. So, you know, morning,

spk_0 morning med passes will just say, for example, say you're behind and it's creeping up to 10 and you're

spk_0 like still giving your meds and you're still a little behind and you had rounds and I would be too

spk_0 scared in a little bit to be like, hey, do you think you could help me pass my meds that we're

spk_0 do it eight, you know, and it's like 10 because you're like, well, I don't want the judgment of

spk_0 my coworkers of them thinking like, I can't handle this. And now I'm asking hours later.

spk_0 But then on the flip side, when I'm the other one who, you know, people are asking me, I'm like, oh

spk_0 my gosh, yeah, like you should ask me sooner. Like I totally would have helped you this whole time.

spk_0 People are going to shame you for it. If anything, they're going to be more respectful of it

spk_0 because they're like, hey, she's reaching out and she's not afraid to ask for help and she's

spk_0 willing to delegate those tasks to be able to safely care for all the patients.

spk_0 Exactly. And every shift is different. You might have a day that it is just absolutely insane

spk_0 and you have so much going on and yeah, you might be behind and you may need more help than

spk_0 most times. And that could be for someone else on another day, maybe another day. It's the easiest

spk_0 day and you're that person that can go and help a lot of your other coworkers. It could be at the

spk_0 type of shift that you have the different different type of patients you have every day. It's a

spk_0 little bit different, but you just got to got to work through it. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

spk_0 Don't be afraid to ask for help. Just like you said with new grads, that's definitely I was the

spk_0 same way, Maddie too. Like in the beginning, I didn't want to be that person to be like, can you help

spk_0 me with this or that or I'm running behind here? That's to be expected, especially when you're new.

spk_0 So yeah, so just make sure you're that coworker guys. Just make sure that if you need to ask questions,

spk_0 ask questions. If you need to ask for help, please don't hesitate to ask for help. That's what a

spk_0 team environment is for. That is what your coworkers are there for. You're there to help support each

spk_0 other. Yes. And caveat on and off of that. Think about lunches and breaks and just the overall

spk_0 care of your coworker as well. Not saying you have to take on the whole burden of making sure,

spk_0 you know, your neighbor gets their breaks, but it's also nice when you're drowning or you're just

spk_0 get caught up in all the tasks that you have to do. And someone next to you's like, hey, like,

spk_0 have you had lunch yet? And you're like, no, actually, I have it. Well, here, I'm caught up. Why don't

spk_0 you go grab some lunch and I can do these, you know, I can pass your meds real quick for you where I

spk_0 send those labs for you real quick. Just go eat. Like it's okay. Step off the unit. There's

spk_0 nothing that feels more helpful than that. Just go. Go take your break. And we'll even, you know,

spk_0 joke in the beginning of the shifts and times, we joke because you never know how the day's going to

spk_0 go. But hey, like estimated time for like 730 more than we estimate time. What time would you like to

spk_0 go to lunch? And I usually go around 1230. And you know, whoever I'm with, maybe they're like,

spk_0 oh, I'll go at one or one 30. We'll keep that in mind for the day. And as those times inch closer,

spk_0 we're like, oh, hey, like you mentioned, you want to go 1230? Like, are you caught up? How are you

spk_0 doing? Did you still want to go around that time? Are you hungry? I feel like just being aware of

spk_0 that and actually communicating back to the communication aspect with your neighbor, with the people

spk_0 around you. When are these breaks going to be? What can I help with? How can I prepare you to be

spk_0 able to do that? Because in return, then you're going to cover meat for lunch. Yeah. Oh, yeah, it was

spk_0 like a buddy system. I don't know if you're a hospital have that, but it was like you had a buddy.

spk_0 So you were assigned by it at the beginning of shift. So with that buddy, it was if you wanted to do

spk_0 lunch, if you wanted to do breaks or if you needed help, like your buddy, you was usually that first

spk_0 person you go to. And obviously, if there's something that happens, they got something going on.

spk_0 You can always obviously ask any other coworker. But usually you had a buddy that you were assigned.

spk_0 And that is exactly like you mentioned, just so you could do your lunches, you could do your

spk_0 breaks. And it's sad because I would get DMs from people that mentioned they don't get their

spk_0 breaks, they don't get their lunches, they work through their lunches, they work through their

spk_0 breaks, they don't have time. It's too crazy. Guys, oh my gosh, take your breaks, take your lunches.

spk_0 Those are your time to de-stress and just kind of walk away from everything and eat. Like you do

spk_0 need to eat. You need to drink your water. You need to like hydrate. You need to get yourself

spk_0 famed up. Like whatever you got to do, you guys got to work together on your unit to make it

spk_0 happen that everyone gets their breaks, everyone gets their lunches. It's just so important. Don't

spk_0 drain yourself. Your entire 12-hour shift. Yes. 12-hour shift. I mean, if back to that, if you're a

spk_0 listener, if you're listening to more than a couple episodes, you probably know how passionate I am

spk_0 about my breaks. And my coworkers, they laugh because I do go to lunch at 12. I would say 85% of the time,

spk_0 I go to lunch at 12.30 every day. Okay. I was going to say, I remember you saying like 12, 12, 15,

spk_0 12.30 was like, 15 and everyone knows that. So it's funny that you say that. It is because I go

spk_0 to lunch with my best friend who is the pharmacist and I see you. And so we can't go too late because

spk_0 she has things that happen like, you know, after like one 30, she usually has like residence,

spk_0 she has to work with. And then I don't like to wait too long because I feel like the longer you

spk_0 wait in your shift, I used to like it. I'll jump back to that. I used to like going later because I

spk_0 felt like the day went by quicker. If I went to lunch at 1.30 or 2 by the time you get back,

spk_0 oh, okay, the shift's like almost over. Yeah. Now I prefer to go earlier and then have an afternoon

spk_0 snack, but I started back in 2020 having lunch with my best friend at work. And before we knew it,

spk_0 it was the 12.30 just ended up being like our time that we went to lunch. And it became very known

spk_0 on the unit. And once it started becoming very set as almost a joke, I was like, well, maybe it's

spk_0 a real thing now. I'm just going to go at that time every day. And when you have that set in your

spk_0 mind, I do everything I can, leading up to 12.30 to be prepared to go at 12.30 because it's already

spk_0 in my head. Right. Right. If a patient's crashing or I'm code nurse and there's a code, obviously,

spk_0 I'm not like I'm walking away from my patient who's very unstable because I will go at 12.30. It's

spk_0 not that. It's not that serious. But for the most part, I can stabilize my patients enough. I can

spk_0 make sure my meds are okay, pass all my meds. That's a nice thing about ice. You would say for

spk_0 the most part, everything is pretty scheduled. And we give meds at, you know, eight, we give meds at

spk_0 nine, occasionally you'll have that like 10 o'clock med. 11 is very, you know, you're doing care. We

spk_0 do rounds every day at around 830 to 10. You have labs that are do at noon. Mm hmm. Then and you

spk_0 have meds that are do at noon, but you can do all those things that, you know, 11.30, 11.45.

spk_0 So really, if your patient is semi stable, you know, ICU, quote unquote, stable 12.30 is a really

spk_0 good time to go. You've finished all the tasks and the majority of our stuff isn't do until two.

spk_0 And most of those labs and things that you send at noon take at least 45 minutes to come back.

spk_0 So it will get the results till one. So it end up being a really good time to just go and have lunch.

spk_0 And it is the busy time in the cafeteria, but I'm totally going off on a tangent here, but I'm very

spk_0 passionate about my lunch time. It's totally going around too. It totally makes sense, but I,

spk_0 when I was doing night shift, I did exactly what you did, though. I waited till pretty like late

spk_0 and able to do a lunch because then it did seem like my shift went fast, but I also feel like for

spk_0 the night shifters out there, the beginning of the night is always the busiest. So pretty much

spk_0 until like midnight, you had stuff happening all night pretty much and then between 12 and like

spk_0 three before four before like you had those labs do would be like, okay, that's when I'm going to

spk_0 go do some lunch or have a break or see if anyone else needs any help or, you know, replenish the

spk_0 clean room or whatever it is that you needed to do. But I was that person. I waited for as long as I

spk_0 could and just snacked beforehand and I was I was pretty good. So it's funny. Everyone's different.

spk_0 You just kind of have to find what works for you and when you're hungry, eat a little something,

spk_0 do your lunch, just make sure you do your breaks and your lunches. It's important.

spk_0 Snowballing off because you just said, you know, restocking and whatnot. That is also something that

spk_0 will make you that nurse. Restock your servers, make sure your room is clean.

spk_0 Yes. Everything set up as if you were coming in.

spk_0 How would you want your night or your day to start? You don't want it trashed to be on the ground and

spk_0 have, you know, packages and meds that haven't been used in two days. I always laugh at that when I

spk_0 know, you know, pressers hanging and then the patient, the patient is literally getting, you know,

spk_0 the opposite. Now we've like started them on blood pressure meds three days ago and they're still

spk_0 pressers hanging, you know, right? Let's clean some things up a little empty your trash. All the

spk_0 things that you would want to do as a normal etiquette thing anyway. Yes. Oh my gosh, when they

spk_0 still have IVs that was there from like a day and a half ago or even just earlier in the day,

spk_0 they've had multiple infusions and those bags are still sitting there. I'm like, okay, let's

spk_0 yes, let's organize this a little bit. That's like the OCD and me is I want all of that taken care

spk_0 of down all of the lines are labeled the trashes out. They're tray tables nice and clean. They're

spk_0 organized and not all like laying in the bed all weird. They're up and propped. I don't know, like

spk_0 and I get it, especially coming night shift during the days are crazy and there are some days you

spk_0 can just tell the moment you walk in what kind of a day it was that they had, but there are definitely

spk_0 days it's just insane and I don't mind it when that's just crazy days. But other days it's just

spk_0 there are as a sort I guess a certain level of organization or cleanup that can be done. It's so

spk_0 helpful for the next shift that comes in. Yeah, and I think you can tell too that when people do

spk_0 have those crazy days, you aren't on them like, okay, you didn't empty your trash, you know,

spk_0 yeah, maybe they were coding the patient for four hours. Yeah, the trash was on

spk_0 not on the high priority list. Yeah, but I think over time you get an idea of

spk_0 the consistency level of people may, you know, if you're following the somebody multiple multiple

spk_0 multiple times and all different assignments and they never do any of these things, it's a little

spk_0 different than somebody who's normally pretty good at it, but you know, had a really bad shift and

spk_0 couldn't get to it. Sure. It's way more understandable. I would say just don't get in the habit of

spk_0 being that person that just leaves their room a disaster. Another thing on the unit that can be

spk_0 hard that you need to try to avoid is the unit gossip that you can hear on a unit and try not to

spk_0 be part of that discussion. I just feel like it brings some negativity, a lot of back and forth

spk_0 between people in the unit with gossip. It's just petty. It's unnecessary and it really is not

spk_0 going to get you anywhere because everything that's said eventually gets out. People talk, especially

spk_0 in situations where, you know, healthcare we do work so closely for so long with each other,

spk_0 that talking bad about people saying negative things, getting into, you know, the gossip, it just

spk_0 will circle back. Yep. And it's just not worth it. Definitely not. It's not something you want to

spk_0 bring in just avoid it at all cost as much as you're able to and just keep doing what you got to do

spk_0 for patient care on your shifts. Mm-hmm. Don't involve yourself. Okay. Another one is this is a

spk_0 little one I was just like this. I tried to do this. Trace shifts when you can.

spk_0 I, there's a lot of people in our, we have like a Facebook group that, hey, can anyone, you know,

spk_0 work my Wednesday for their Thursday. Hey, I need to take my daughter to a doctor's point

spk_0 now. Can anyone switch me? And I would say we're pretty good at saying like, yeah, we can do that.

spk_0 But I know an other unit I've worked or just different times of the year. People even know they

spk_0 could do it. They're so set in their schedule, which is fine. I'm not saying you have to move your

spk_0 schedule around to help other people. But occasionally it is nice to extend the offer. And when someone's

spk_0 like, hey, I really need this day off and you are like, I'm going to be sitting at home or really

spk_0 not doing much either of those days. It's that extra mile. It's that extra hey, I will, I will do this

spk_0 for you in hopes that, you know, one day if you need a day that's changed, someone's willing to

spk_0 change for you. Right. Exactly. Because that's the thing, like just like you mentioned, think about

spk_0 it in the way that if you absolutely needed to have a day off, something came up and emergency

spk_0 came up and you could not change it and you had to be there, you would really hope that someone could

spk_0 switch that day with you so that you could take care of whatever it is you need to take care of.

spk_0 So definitely just kind of thinking in that aspect, it's definitely something you would want

spk_0 if something ever happened for you that you want to switch shifts, same with the other person.

spk_0 With holidays, I remember that in particular, there are some people, especially everyone wants Christmas

spk_0 off, right? Or the week of Christmas. And there are some people that don't have family here, like in

spk_0 the States or wherever they're at. So they didn't really care of working Christmas because it wasn't

spk_0 like they had family here. So they always asked anyone, if you want the time off, I could do it.

spk_0 I don't really have anyone here to spend time with. So it's just, it's just like you said, like don't

spk_0 feel obligated to do it all the time. It's just, it definitely is nice to be able to be that

spk_0 person, that coworker that you know if they're able to that would do that and switch.

spk_0 Yeah, it's everything is a balance and our, our leadership knows it best because they're the

spk_0 ones who have to actually balance the schedule, right? But I had a girlfriend who was in and

spk_0 peace school and she preferred to work on weekends because she had school during the week.

spk_0 And we had to have weekend requirements and you know, let's do. And for a while there,

spk_0 my other girlfriend needed weekends off because her husband only had weekends off and was

spk_0 traveling and you know doing all these things and they ended up working on a little bit of a deal

spk_0 where you know she would sign up for her weekends. And oh my gosh. The other girl wanted them off

spk_0 and the other girl wanted them on and so they would just switch. And it worked out for both of them.

spk_0 There's nice. There's no, yeah, there's no downside to helping each other that way

spk_0 because it all balances out in the end. There's a nurse there to care for the patients

spk_0 and you can still have your work life balance. So it's okay. Ask people around you, talk with

spk_0 someone, maybe find your buddy who's like that Christmas person who, hey, I'd rather have, you know,

spk_0 new years often you can work Christmas and vice versa. Yeah. So yeah, gosh, it's so nice.

spk_0 It's a balancing. And that kind of, it is. And that kind of goes off of the other, I think I was

spk_0 going to say is finding your people, not that you want to be clicky, but definitely find the people

spk_0 on your unit that you're like, these are my people. These are people that I can go to in an

spk_0 emergency. These are the people I can go to when I am proud of myself or something and I feel like

spk_0 just want to be celebrated a little bit. The people that I'm like, this is a tough shift

spk_0 when we all go get margaritas. You know, those friends, those friendships that you make connections

spk_0 as in my unit, we say hashtag trauma bonded with because a lot of us go together. Those,

spk_0 are the things that are going to make your work even more valuable in the place that you work.

spk_0 Yeah, it's having those go to people that you know you can go to when they're working that can

spk_0 answer questions, be a resource for you, be supportive. And I love how you mentioned about

spk_0 celebrating people, especially with their wins. If you notice someone, maybe it was like a brand

spk_0 new new grad and they just placed their first IV and you, I mean, celebrate that. Tell them, oh, my

spk_0 gosh, you got your first IV. That's so exciting. Congrats. And great, you know, or maybe they did

spk_0 some other skill they've never done before and they did it. Great. Celebrate anything that's

spk_0 positive. Uplift them. Tell them, if you see them working hard, tell them that say you're working

spk_0 awesome. Like you're doing an amazing job. Keep up the great work. You know, it's, you can see that.

spk_0 You have no idea how much that can make someone's day kind of flip around, especially if they have

spk_0 been like super stressed out. If they know that someone else is noticing that they're working hard

spk_0 and they feel appreciated, you do have the sense of like, okay, I feel good. I'm going to keep going.

spk_0 A little bit more positive uplifting. I feel like so many people need that. Oh, for sure.

spk_0 And even spending that time celebrating them doing whatever it is at work is fantastic. Also,

spk_0 going outside of work and whether it's a birthday or like you said, someone, something happens

spk_0 and you're like, hey, we should all go out and get dinner together. Having that time together where

spk_0 you can connect out of a stressful environment is what has helped. I think flourish my relationships

spk_0 and friendships that I've made with my coworkers when you know them outside of work and you know them

spk_0 as people, you know, the things that they're going through a little bit more, you know, you just get

spk_0 a better sense of who they are. So then when you are in that work environment, it flows better.

spk_0 You're not so pent up like this is the only time we know each other. We can go out and we can

spk_0 have fun and we can meet each other a little bit better and then come and work stronger together.

spk_0 Oh my gosh, absolutely. I feel like it's a great bonding, like a team bonding experience whenever

spk_0 you're able to meet outside of the hospital. And like you said, you get to know them a little

spk_0 bit better. You get to hear a little bit of their backstory or what's going on. And I just feel

spk_0 like that makes sure bonnet work even bigger and stronger because you do have that time to get to

spk_0 know each other a lot more outside the hospital than just in. Absolutely. Oh, this is a big one.

spk_0 All right, no, I mean, not a word, but basically don't, don't, you're not above any task or any job.

spk_0 This is a huge one. And I think especially our texts, the texts who then became nurses, they're very

spk_0 passionate about this. And I'm very passionate about too is not just delegating because you can.

spk_0 Like, oh, well, you check my blood sugar for me. Oh, you can get my vitals for me because

spk_0 there's someone else there to do it. Yeah. You are fully, you are fully capable of doing all those

spk_0 things. Delegation comes in when you are stressed, you have something that maybe has to be done,

spk_0 two things that have to be done at the exact same time that are both important. And you're like,

spk_0 okay, I'll delegate it now. But if it's something that you can manage and you can handle, there's no

spk_0 reason for you to pass it off. Oh, absolutely. Just to kind of go off of that just from my experience

spk_0 even just from having been in the hospital. I've heard it done. I've seen it done where nurses

spk_0 are telling PCTs that's not my job. And it makes me frustrated when I hear other nurses that say

spk_0 that's not my job because anyone can do that. It's frustrating to hear, but just like you said,

spk_0 Maddie, I feel like unless you have another matter that's going on that is more pressing or

spk_0 you there's a more of a priority of something else going on that needs your attention. If you're

spk_0 needing vitals for another patient, if you're needing a blood sugar that's needed, they're needing

spk_0 a bed bath at the same time that you meant to help them with. But now your other patient needs you more.

spk_0 You know, those are the circumstances of delegating those kind of tasks that they're able to do. But

spk_0 in any other way, I was always wanting to do like my own vitals myself versus the PCT because I don't

spk_0 know about your hospital, but the PCTs have a lot of patients, a lot of people they have to go and do

spk_0 vitals, do sugars, do bedbas, do everything. And especially if you're short-handed, that's a lot of

spk_0 work and a lot of stress on them to try to get a lot of stuff done. So I always tried to be that nurse

spk_0 to try to do a lot of that stuff so they didn't have to worry about my patients needing any of that

spk_0 just like you said. Unless I had an emergency or an absolute priority with another patient,

spk_0 then I would delegate to them and see if they could help me out. But otherwise, you're not above that.

spk_0 You can do it just as well as they can. Just keep that in mind a little bit going forward.

spk_0 Don't take advantage of the people you work with. You can say over time, especially, that's going

spk_0 to put a very negative viewpoint on you as a nurse. If you're someone who's constantly just,

spk_0 do this for me. Oh my gosh, that's below me. I, you know, I literally have heard someone before.

spk_0 Like you said that someone's just like, I became a nurse so I didn't have to clean patients up.

spk_0 And you're like, that's not the attitude we're looking for, sweetie. No, get that out of here.

spk_0 So know that every job, every role is important. Absolutely. I think our EVS gals, who we absolutely

spk_0 adore, they come in, they clean our room, they, you know, they empty our trash for us midday.

spk_0 And if I see them coming, they are stretched thin. If I'm sitting there and everyone's sitting

spk_0 there, we're fine. I'm caught up. I'll just go start emptying the trash for them and taking it.

spk_0 That is just one less thing they have to do. And I think we could do that in so many different roles.

spk_0 We could do that for our doctors, you know, who have a billion phone calls to make. Hey,

spk_0 maybe I can help make light in that load and make a phone call emptying the trash, refill stocking

spk_0 stuff, refilling things. There's so many different little tasks that we can do to help off load.

spk_0 Other people when we're able to absolutely. It's not ever anything. You're never above it.

spk_0 If you have downtime, if anyone has downtime, that just it helps things go smoother on your shift,

spk_0 but also helps the shift following you to with certain tasks that are already done that they don't

spk_0 have to worry about. So if you're able to definitely do that, make it easy for yourself, make it

spk_0 easy for the rest of your team to pick up certain things like that. If you notice a coworker,

spk_0 it doesn't have time to do certain things. Really try helping them out. It just it's again,

spk_0 it calls back to it's a team sport team unit. It's the entire unit. That's what makes everything

spk_0 flow so smoothly if everyone works together. Yes. And to kind of close all that out. No.

spk_0 That you are not going to get along with every single person you work with.

spk_0 Life, not every single person's compatible. Personalities are going to clash. Viewpoints.

spk_0 It's not going to be perfect. So if you get in those scenarios and you do encounter someone where

spk_0 you're like, oh my gosh, I can't stand them or they're rude to you. We've said in past episodes.

spk_0 One, just trying to avoid them. Don't let it get to you as hard as that sound or easy as

spk_0 the sounds. It's harder in the situation, but just brush it off your back. Keep doing what you

spk_0 have to do. Give the care to your patients. If it gets to a situation where it's really affecting

spk_0 your work, the care you provide, obviously take it to higher management, talk to the person who's

spk_0 actually causing the issues. It can be dealt with that way. But for the most part,

spk_0 if you, what's the golden rule, treat others, what you want to be treated. If you give that attitude

spk_0 out of, hey, I'm here to help, what can I do for you? How can we be a good team? If everyone's doing

spk_0 that before you know it, the whole unit is a whole is going to be better for that.

spk_0 Yep. Absolutely. I couldn't have said it better. So yeah, I guess that's that's where we're

spk_0 going this week with. Hopefully everyone feels a little inspired. Maybe it was either a nice

spk_0 reminder for you to turn that attitude a little bit to be more helpful. Or it was a reminder for

spk_0 you that you're like, hey, I'm the helpful person, but the people I work with are not. Maybe I need

spk_0 to start looking somewhere else. Whatever. I'd your on. We hope that this episode would be fun for

spk_0 you. Sure. Hope so here to guys. Thanks again so much for tuning in this week. And we will be

spk_0 back again for another great episode in the future. Thanks again, guys. I'm good, man.

spk_0 Thank you guys so much for listening. You can follow along with us weekly by subscribing to our

spk_0 podcast. And you can connect with us on Instagram at Life and Scrubs podcast where we share more

spk_0 interesting content like this. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. We would love

spk_0 to hear from you.

How to be "THAT" Nurse

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