I am a new director of nursing. Can you share some ideas on what I can do for my staff?
The best thing that you can do for your nurses is to love, appreciate and respect them. Do something for them every day of the week.
An anonymous person beautifully wrote, “The definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs.”
You could host a Florence Nightingale cake and punch party, celebrating both retired and new nurses to create amazing synergy among them. Nightingale famously said, “I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.”
I attribute much of my success to these words.
Another small but thoughtful way to appreciate your nurses is to distribute “survival kits” with the following note: “When frustrated, overwhelmed, or stressed out, reach for the toothpick to remind you not to be ‘too picky’; a lollipop to help you ‘lick your problems’; a rubber band to help you to be ‘flexible’; a paperclip to help you ‘hold things together’; a string to help you ‘tie up loose ends’; a pin to help you ‘pinpoint problems’; and a penny so that you will have enough ‘cents’ to realize what a valuable person you are!”
I am a nurse. I am strong, independent, motivated, hardworking, reliable, determined, loyal, selfless, dedicated, loving and compassionate. Nurses CAN change the world! Let’s do it together. Thank you for ALL that you do for so many.
From the July 01, 2016 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
