Managing Emotional Stress and Burnout For Nurses

Resilience is key in combating emotional stress and burnout among nurses. Being resilient enables you to overcome difficult circumstances, adapt to challenging environments, and prevents chronic burnout.

Building resilience involves cultivating a supportive community and learning effective coping techniques. Activities like expressive writing, setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness meditation and seeking help all play an essential part in becoming more resilient.

1. Practice self-care.

As with other healthcare workers, nurses need to find effective strategies for handling emotional stress and burnout in their workplace. A sense of community and developing personal stress-coping techniques that they can utilize themselves are vital aspects of successful practice.

Emotionally resilient individuals possess the ability to regulate their emotions. Instead of lashing out at strangers at the grocery store or engaging in fights with those they care about because of a difficult day, emotionally resilient people understand that obstacles encountered along their journey will only last temporarily and don’t define who they are as individuals.

Reducing stress by practicing self-care is one of the key ways to build emotional resilience. Consider what steps you take to calm yourself during periods of tension, such as writing in a journal or taking deep breaths. Furthermore, explore local community organizations with an array of hobbies and interests so you can meet like-minded individuals while discovering something new together.

2. Practice self-compassion.

Self-compassion means accepting that life can be unpredictable; the key is not allowing the downs to bring you down. While it’s understandable to feel angry when something goes wrong, remember that your actions alone cannot control the outcome of a situation.

Resilient people understand that temporary suffering doesn’t define who they are at their core. Furthermore, resilient people regulate their emotions and accept what is out of their control.

Emotional resilience doesn’t come naturally for everyone; heredity and life experiences play a large part in one’s ability to be resilient. However, there are numerous strategies you can employ to increase emotional resilience—starting with changing your thoughts. Keep a gratitude journal or engage in daily meditation practice – they all start here! Supportive relationships as well as learning when asking for assistance are additional strategies you should utilize to increase resilience.

3. Practice self-compassionate communication.

Emotional resilience can be found within each of us through inheritance and life experience; however, it can also be learned and practiced through small changes that add up over time to make a big impactful difference in daily routines. You can start building resilience now simply by making some small but meaningful modifications in daily routines that yield big results!

People with strong senses of self-compassion may find greater comfort during times of stress. If you find yourself overwhelmed or unable to manage stressors effectively, try practicing self-compassionate communication by talking positively and supportively to yourself about who you are.

Flexibility is another essential trait of resilient behavior, helping us adapt to ever-evolving circumstances without becoming overwhelmed or despairing. When faced with setbacks, embrace change rather than resist it as an opportunity for growth.

Resilient individuals find ways to laugh at life’s tougher moments, which has been proven to reduce physical effects of stress and make stressful situations more manageable.

4. Practice self-compassionate decision-making.

In our world of uncertainty, it’s crucial that we learn how to cope with unexpected events. People with high emotional resilience can quickly adapt their plans and expectations as needed, and use various coping mechanisms when faced with events that cause upset feelings.

Students can utilize these strategies to reframe their experiences more helpfully. For instance, instead of viewing setbacks as failure or an excuse to give up, they can view them as opportunities to practice self-compassion skills and practice being kind to themselves.

Resilience isn’t something you have or don’t; it can be developed. With 2020 already being an eventful year with cancelled vacations and challenging changes at work and school, building resilience skills may become even more essential than before.

5. Practice self-compassionate action.

No matter the situation, self-compassion should always be part of our everyday routines – from major life challenges to minor setbacks. Building this into your everyday schedule by starting a personal self-compassion practice such as this Greater Good In Action walk-through provides a simple way to start one that can help manage negative emotions more easily.

Resilient people recognize their own feelings and draw on both internal and external resources to manage adversity. Additionally, they understand that change is an integral part of life and make an effort to learn from each experience they face.

One study discovered that nurses who adopt an adaptive attitude experience less burnout. Furthermore, their workload had less of an adverse impact on compassion satisfaction levels.

6. Practice self-love.

At times, it may be hard to take advice to “be resilient.” When already struggling with an ongoing health condition or family tragedy, hearing that you must toughen up can feel dismissive and invalidating; but resilience is something anyone can work toward developing through intentional practice and training.

Nurses with high emotional resilience tend to be adept at managing stressors, and finding ways to cope more easily when life throws curve balls at them. Many factors affect resilience such as age or any traumatic experiences you’ve been exposed to in the past.

One of the key ways you can build emotional resilience is to cultivate self-love and forgiveness. One effective strategy to do so is by setting healthy boundaries for yourself as well as knowing when it’s appropriate to say no if necessary.

7. Practice self-compassionate gratitude.

Resilient individuals know they will get through tough times, even when stress levels are elevated. This helps them feel calm and secure as they make decisions and solve problems.

Practice gratitude can help foster more self-compassion. You can do this through keeping a journal, practicing mindfulness and deep breathing techniques, or by simply recognising small accomplishments throughout your day – for instance not losing your temper during a stressful situation or picking yourself back up after suffering setbacks.

Being part of a supportive community can also increase resilience. Studies show that feeling supported can reduce depression risk and boost overall mental health; this can be achieved by creating a support network and learning to ask for assistance; whether from friends who listen or from professional counselors. Asking for help does not signal weakness but strength – something which will take practice to master, yet gradually increasing your ability to connect with people while expanding your support system is one way of doing just that.

8. Practice self-compassionate forgiveness.

Acknowledging mistakes is a key aspect of emotional resilience, as it allows you to keep moving forward without being deterred by setbacks or failures.

People with high resilience can handle life changes and obstacles without lasting difficulties, realizing that the source of distress does not define who they are at their core and only temporary in nature. Resilient people practice emotional regulation skills and challenge irrational thoughts with objective, open-ended questions to reframe them.

Resilient people know when and how to ask for help when needed, without viewing this as a sign of weakness but rather as an opportunity to build their support network and learn from experience. They also possess humor, are confident in themselves, believe they are capable of meeting challenges on their own, can find positives in every situation, and remain hopeful.

9. Practice self-compassionate gratitude.

Emotional resilience requires the ability to see the positive aspects of any difficult situations. Resilient people often employ strategies such as humor or keeping a gratitude journal as ways to find such threads of positivity in their lives.

Self-compassion and gratitude practices can help nurses strengthen resilience and reduce stress. For instance, when feeling down about themselves they might write themselves a letter listing all the qualities that they appreciate about themselves – this Greater Good In Action walk-through provides a step-by-step guide on writing such letters.

Emotional resilience is a complex trait influenced by both hereditary factors and life experiences, but anyone can learn to be more resilient in order to cope better with stressors. A nurse experiencing work-related stresses may benefit from learning to break large tasks down into manageable parts so as to focus on each task individually instead of becoming overwhelmed by an entire project or situation.

Patient Communication and Truly Connecting With Patients Comes With Experience for Nurses

Nurses possess a wealth of experience when it comes to communicating and connecting with patients. Reassuring patients and helping them understand medical information are among the primary focuses of their job.

When communicating with patients, greet them with their name and make eye contact. Smile and acknowledge any family or friends present as well.

Make Eye Contact

Eye contact is one of the best ways to demonstrate genuine interest and convey respect in nonverbal communication, making eye contact an essential part of patient-nurse relationships.

Researchers recently conducted a study that revealed how eye contact can make people appear more empathic and understanding towards others, since it shows you care for their well-being and desire to make them comfortable. It should be noted, however, that eye contact levels vary between individuals and cultures; direct eye contact between an authority figure such as nurse can sometimes be considered rude and may cause patients to view him/her as uncaring and untrustworthy.

Before beginning work with patients, it’s essential that you practice making eye contact with strangers. Look into their eyes briefly before returning their gaze – this may take practice but overtime you will learn the optimal level of eye contact needed with patients.

Eye contact alone isn’t enough; patients need to know that you care for them as individuals. You can do this by actively listening to their concerns and questions and providing all the necessary information in an easily understandable format. Furthermore, speaking in layman’s terms rather than medical jargon will show them this respect.

Additionally, when meeting new patients for the first time it’s essential that you introduce yourself. This allows them to feel as if they know more about you while giving them an opportunity to ask any questions they might have about what you do as a profession. It may also help if they don’t know your name or title – both will serve to give a clear picture of who they’re meeting with and their services provided.

After your appointment, it’s also essential that patients know they will always have access to you afterward. You could give out your contact info or even inquire as to if they would like a follow up appointment in the future if any concerns come up – this will reassure them of your commitment to their overall healthcare needs and that you will always be there on an as-needed basis.

Be Empathetic

At times stressful to work as a medical professional, being empathic with patients is key for effective communication with them. Patients are often dealing with high levels of anxiety and stress in their lives and need reassurance that you understand their concerns. Showing empathy may include listening to stories of individuals’ situations to demonstrate your caring attitude – this will allow patients to feel validated even if their experience or diagnosis can’t relate directly.

Empathy differs from sympathy in that sympathy can quickly turn patronizing, while empathy shows care and belief in a patient’s abilities to handle whatever situation arises. Instead, show it with phrases such as, “I’m sorry that you have to face that,” or, “Many others face this same challenge; so you aren’t alone,” which show patients you believe they will make it through. This shows they matter and show they care!

Empathy may not always come naturally when you’re busy and stressed out, but that doesn’t mean it should go neglected. Try making eye contact and asking open-ended questions that encourage patients to share their emotions; ask them to repeat back what was said as another great way of making sure that they understood exactly.

Another effective method of being more empathetic is by considering patients’ emotions when discussing their medical conditions. According to research, patients are highly motivated by feeling understood and acknowledged by their physician; those shown empathy tend to adhere more easily to medical advice given and be more willing to engage in therapeutic processes.

Under pressure, physicians often struggle with expressing empathy. But it’s important to remember that empathy is a learned behavior and can be improved with practice. Furthermore, patients offer various clues during appointments; if physicians miss them they’ll repeat themselves until their concerns have been heard and addressed appropriately.

Be Honest

At the core of any patient-provider relationship is honesty between healthcare professionals. Patients put a great deal of trust in their physicians, which could be compromised if they perceive that their physician is being dishonest or misleading. Recent scandals involving Mid-Stafffordshire and Hyponatremia brought into sharp focus the need for healthcare providers to communicate openly and honestly with one another.

Nurses often serve as the go-betweens between information and patients. Their skill in explaining complex ideas in plain language and avoiding medical jargon is an integral component of helping patients comprehend their health conditions and treatment options. Furthermore, it’s also crucial that patients know you are truly listening rather than just making notes for their electronic health record – this demonstrates care for the person as an individual rather than simply treating them like data points.

Remember to be gentle when breaking bad news or discussing their health condition details; some patients need time to process this information, and you are essential in building connections between you and them. If a patient is still not prepared to receive this news, be gentle with them, reassuring and give them space they require in order to be comfortable.

Being truthful also includes sharing personal experiences with patients to make them feel more connected to you. For instance, telling an older patient a tale about when you were first diagnosed with a chronic illness could make them feel they have someone they can confide in who understands what they’re going through.

While incorporating all these tactics may be challenging, their benefits outweigh any negative repercussions for efficiency. By applying even a few of the tips outlined, you will begin to see positive changes in patient relationships as well as find greater meaning from your work.

Be Yourself

Being authentic when dealing with patients can be challenging in environments filled with distractions. But no matter the pressure and stress of the job, it’s essential that we strive to remain genuine with every patient we come into contact with, which helps them feel like someone cares for their concerns and listens.

Greeting each patient as soon as they enter the room and giving them your full attention can help build trust, as it ensures you can collect all of the essential data required for care delivery – including their medical history, symptoms and results from previous tests. Asking each patient if they have any queries or concerns as well as using the teach-back method (whereby asking them to repeat back what you just explained) are great ways of building it further.

Engaging patients in light conversations about their lives is another excellent way to strengthen relationships and alleviate any discomfort they might be feeling during treatment. While working as a CAA and accompanying the patient while they sleep may make small talk more challenging, opportunities still may exist by making note of something specific on them or by asking about any family members they mention during conversation.

If you’re feeling intimidated by starting from scratch, try beginning with one or two tactics and gradually expanding on them as time progresses. That way, you may begin seeing improvements in the way patients respond to you.

Nursing should aim to deliver an exceptional patient experience, but if this goal seems unreachable for you, perhaps reassessing how you interact with patients could help achieve it. Communicating clearly can have a significant effect on how a patient perceives their stay at your hospital or clinic and may be the deciding factor as to whether they return in future care or not.

The Importance of Teamwork and Interdepartmental Collaboration for Nurses

Effective inter-departmental collaboration is integral to company success. It can lead to higher sales figures, healthier and happier employees and a more productive work environment.

But teamwork and interprofessional collaborative endeavors are rarely taught in nursing classrooms. This article will examine both its benefits and its challenges when applied in teaching, service delivery and research settings.

1. Communication

Understanding that great work requires teamwork is crucial. Encouraging employees from various departments to collaborate on cross-departmental projects fosters more empathy at work while giving people an opportunity to develop relationships with colleagues they wouldn’t normally interact with. Furthermore, communicating with a wider range of team members allows more perspectives to emerge on a project while decreasing ambiguity.

An example would be where a copywriter could provide insights about a campaign’s target audience to marketing or vice versa, while working together across departments can improve coordination and access to resources.

Effective communication in healthcare is integral to improving patient health outcomes; yet many nurses lack the necessary communication skills needed to fulfill their educational role effectively with patients. Poor communication may lead to incorrect diagnoses, reduced patient satisfaction and an increase in medical errors (Aieen et al., 2010). Poor interpersonal interactions with patients may create feelings of distrust and dissatisfaction for nurses (Celik et al., 2008). Enhancing communication between departments can be achieved with proper training and mentoring, including regular meetings, project-based work and cross-training opportunities. Managers should encourage interdepartmental cooperation to foster an atmosphere of collaborative behavior throughout their organization.

2. Conflict Resolution

An inability to handle conflicts effectively can create a toxic work environment. Effective strategies for handling disagreements allow workers to peacefully discuss issues and reach compromise solutions which benefit all involved – helping reduce misunderstandings, strengthen employee loyalty, and ultimately boost productivity.

Workplace conflict may arise for various reasons, including poor communication, personality clashes and limited resources. It can also stem from organizational structures like hierarchy or bureaucracy that limit decision-making processes or lack clear decision-making processes; personal issues like family difficulties or mental health challenges can further fuel workplace tension.

To reduce conflict, nurses should be encouraged to engage in open, honest dialogue among themselves. Employing active listening techniques like paraphrasing and asking questions may be useful in avoiding unfair accusations against each other and providing emotional support when needed. Furthermore, using I statements could prevent blame-games while increasing understanding between employees.

Collaboration, compromise and avoidance are also effective strategies for conflict resolution. Collaborative conflict resolution focuses on creating true win-win situations while compromise entails either party making concessions in order to reach resolution.

3. Problem Solving

Problem-solving skills are one of the cornerstones of nursing. Nurses must collaborate as a team in order to ensure each patient receives optimal care.

Efficiency in problem-solving is vital to any business’s success. This requires open communication, mutual respect, and an environment conducive to collaboration. By creating an interdepartmental atmosphere that promotes efficiency within departments can significantly boost sales figures, employee wellness and customer satisfaction levels.

Cross-departmental teams are an increasingly common feature in businesses today, as projects often require input from multiple departments to be completed successfully. Depending on your industry, this may involve working with people from different locations or even across the world – though this type of collaborative project may prove challenging to manage, there are tools that can assist.

Step one in encouraging cross-departmental collaboration is training your employees how to communicate effectively. This will allow them to work more efficiently with teammates and achieve results more quickly, while simultaneously creating a culture in which all members take risks to reach goals more quickly. As former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously noted, one person cannot do everything alone in the business world – this statement holds particularly true. Teamwork is an integral element of being successful company.

4. Decision Making

Companies that foster cross-departmental collaboration tend to be more efficient and productive. This is particularly important when undertaking projects requiring employees from multiple departments – like marketing campaigns or product launches. Collaborative work helps streamline these processes while building team spirit that boosts morale.

Collaboration among various departments can also increase their innovation. For example, teams from marketing might collaborate with IT to develop an application to enhance customer service. Furthermore, cross-departmental cooperation allows teams to gain a stronger understanding of their company as a whole, leading to improved productivity and fostering a healthier working environment overall.

Nursing students need to develop critical thinking and clinical decision-making abilities in order to ensure patient safety. There is no clear method for teaching these essential skills; one study that compared students taking the Fundamentals of Nursing course via both synchronous and asynchronous online distance education found no difference in critical thinking or clinical decision-making levels among either group of learners.

5. Adaptability

Adaptability is an indispensable skill for staff members looking to remain effective and productive during times of change. Individuals who possess this trait are adept at shifting responsibilities without interrupting everyday operations and can quickly adopt new projects; their flexibility can prove invaluable in the workplace.

Clinical learning activities may have both positive and unexpected results. Nurse educators frequently fear that students will adopt poor practices they observe from colleagues in a clinical setting, for instance by seeing one take shortcuts or use workarounds when performing skills in the environment, possibly leading to unsafe patient outcomes.

Negative unintended results often arise when nurses practice outside the scope of their training. For instance, when treating disabled patients they might use medical instead of social models of disability as this assumes they must be fixed through medical interventions rather than addressed through other means.

Cross-departmental collaboration is integral to reaching business goals, so efforts made to foster it will ensure businesses run more smoothly while improving customer experiences.

6. Interpersonal Skills

Team members need to be able to collaborate effectively as part of an efficient and productive organization. Collaboration involves understanding each point of view, finding common ground and communicating clearly – something which may take practice but is essential for productivity and efficiency. Teams that function smoothly together are more productive and efficient than those operating individually.

The best nurses understand that they must cultivate both hard and soft skills. They hone their technical knowledge while creating empathy among both patients and colleagues, as well as invest in developing interpersonal abilities to manage stress, resolve conflicts more easily, and develop their networks effectively.

Nursing students need to develop strong communication skills in order to inform patients effectively about their medical conditions and treatments. This includes both verbal and nonverbal communication as well as patient teach-back techniques – like asking patients to repeat a concept or set of instructions back in their own words – along with avoiding condescending pet names and speaking in complete sentences in order to demonstrate that you care for their concerns.

Additionally, nurses need to collaborate effectively with both their peers and other departments within the hospital, both on a single project as well as ongoing collaborations. Nurse managers typically look for team players that can take on multiple roles and responsibilities to develop their skill set and help contribute towards team success.

7. Leadership

Managers of cross-functional teams require leadership skills. Leaders should encourage collaboration among departments, set measurable goals, and ensure teams understand the bigger picture. A clear understanding of roles and responsibilities helps reduce confusion while increasing communication between team members.

Employees from different departments working toward a shared goal also develop more empathy; as they recognize each other’s difficulties and frustrations, they become more willing to offer assistance when required.

Teamwork is particularly crucial in medical environments where the pace and workload change quickly and frequently. New nurses must quickly become adept at patient care and charting while learning how to interact with other members of their healthcare team – success depends upon each department working collaboratively across departments to accomplish this feat.

Communication within this type of collaborative environment must take many forms, from emailing to virtual meetings. Therefore, investing in an interdepartmental collaboration software like PandaDoc can help streamline these processes, helping reduce miscommunication and saving valuable time in the long run. In addition, leaders should encourage cross-departmental cooperation by celebrating milestones and successes of teams from different departments – even simple recognition can go a long way towards building trust and respect between team members from various departments.

Error Management and How to Cope When You Make a Mistake

Error Management requires disclosing errors; however, this can be challenging when physicians feel exposed to malpractice lawsuits.

Studies demonstrate the benefits of error management on organizational outcomes such as performance and innovation. Error management cultures promote communication about errors, prompt responses to them and encourage learning from mistakes (Rybowiak et al. 1999).

1. Apologize

As much as it may be difficult, admitting mistakes is necessary for growth and trust restoration with colleagues. Being honest about errors will reduce damage while building bridges between colleagues. By being upfront about them and offering sincere apologies for them, you’ll help minimize damage while building strong working relationships with everyone involved.

As Salemi points out, people want to see their peers develop and learn from mistakes; by emphasizing this aspect of an apology you are showing coworkers or managers that you are an adult who can handle responsibility with maturity.

Expression of empathy and regret over your error is also critical in making a genuine apology, showing how much you care for both colleagues and customers alike. This step can often be challenging but essential if you truly wish to apologize.

Once you’ve expressed regret for your misdeed, the next step should be addressing how to remedy the situation. By giving a concrete example of how you intend to avoid repeating it in future interactions, audiences can gain confidence that their mistakes won’t happen again.

Apologizing by email is ideal when your mistake involves sensitive topics like sexual misconduct or alcohol/drug abuse. Writing out your apology allows more time for consideration by both yourself and the recipient of the email; also make sure it goes directly to the person affected as this could indicate you don’t take their concerns seriously or don’t prioritize their issues.

2. Take responsibility

Accepting responsibility for your mistakes is integral to effectively dealing with them. Being able to acknowledge your errors shows a mature approach to life, while shifting blame onto someone else can cause many issues, from relationship damage and respect loss, all the way up to breached agreements between colleagues. Furthermore, shifting blame onto another can only further disfigure matters by further hurting both egos; but no matter if that means acknowledging even minor errors as yours but doing it instead through blame shifting onto them instead.

Failing to accept responsibility for an error can have serious repercussions, including loss of employment or irreparable damage to your reputation, as well as impacting work performance adversely.

To best address a mistake, it’s wise to be proactive in seeking feedback and support from those affected by your actions. Doing this will allow you to fully comprehend how they have been affected and what steps need to be taken in order to correct the mistake.

Note that strategies of error prevention must be supplemented with those of error management, which focus on mitigating their harmful results (Frese et al., 1991). Error management involves identifying and explaining the source of an error quickly after it occurs in order to detect it quickly and lessen its impact (Fey & Henley 2005).

Remind yourself that no system can ever be perfect; mistakes will occur and learning from them is essential to career growth and success. Errors may occur for various reasons such as human errors and system failures; by managing these errors effectively you can mitigate their negative effects and boost productivity.

3. Correct the error

Whenever we make mistakes, it is crucial that we rectify them as quickly as possible. This may mean identifying what went wrong and devising plans to avoid repeating them in future; for instance if an incorrect response was provided during class you could take responsibility and provide a more precise response by re-evaluating and revising it to show you are taking ownership for your error while striving to better it.

Consider how your error has affected others. If it has caused extra work for colleagues, seek solutions to alleviate that burden and show that you take responsibility for what happened – this will foster trust within the workplace.

Repair the damage that your error has caused by offering to rectify it and offering to make up any lost revenue with extra hours worked in order to compensate. Apologizing directly and offering additional hours would help do just this if there have been revenue losses as a result of an error; offering late hours could also make up the difference in revenue losses.

Error management is an essential aspect of organizational life, and research has demonstrated its benefits. Michael Frese and Nina Keith conducted a study which explored the correlation between an organization’s culture for handling errors and its goal attainment and economic performance, such as acknowledging mistakes for learning purposes as common norm, and its subsequent positive correlation to these outcomes.

Another research stream has explored the concept of positive error management culture, which involves developing organizational practices and procedures on how to handle errors effectively. This is similar to psychological safety – which refers to emotional stability in teams – which has been linked with positive team performance (e.g. Edmondson & Lei 2014).

4. Recover from the error

Errors should not be seen as something negative; rather they can serve as opportunities to grow and learn from. Accepting responsibility for mistakes you have made shows your boss and coworkers that you are committed to producing high-quality work and are reliable team players. Although admitting your errors may be hard, admitting them will speed up resolution processes significantly. Denying them puts yourself on the defensive and prolongs the resolution process further.

Error management should take into account that errors cannot be eliminated completely and therefore emphasizing learning from errors rather than trying to prevent them is more efficient (Avolio and Gardner 2005; Gelfand et al. 2011; Swanson and Hsu 2011). Leaders within organizations are therefore well placed to promote error management mechanisms and culture support models within their teams and businesses.

Our research seeks to explore how leadership and an organizational culture of error management can serve as a facilitating variable for error management. To do so, we conducted a between-group experiment in which participants were randomly assigned one of two variants of inducing an error management climate: either through direct disclosure request or indirectly through communication of social norms for error management.

Our findings show that leadership positively affects an organizational culture of error management. Furthermore, both of their AVE values exceed 0.5 providing adequate evidence of mediation between leadership and error management practices within an organizational culture of error management. Thus, both hypotheses of direct leadership influence on error management as well as indirect influence through an organizational culture of error management are confirmed.

5. Disclose the error

Mistakes may be inevitable, but there are ways to make them less likely to repeat themselves. One such method is disclosing an error when it occurs to prevent its escalation into something worse – but doing so in such a way that does not put patients further at risk requires understanding both its boundaries as well as how best to deal with their emotional responses following a mistake.

Physicians are required to inform patients of medical errors that cause harm; however, many hesitate to do so because of concerns over liability issues. Recently, American University of Beirut and King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) conducted workshops designed to train physicians on how best to disclose errors within their practice and provided training on Jordanian Law on Medical and Health Liability (Jordan LML).

Researchers found that disclosing errors depends on both the content of information provided and communication skills used. An overemphasis on either factor may lead to poor disclosure conversations – for instance, an emphasis on soothing patient emotions without explaining what went wrong may make physicians reluctant to address the matter further.

Leaders play an instrumental role in creating an environment of error management in organizations, and there is growing recognition of their impact through indirect mechanisms like expectations about errors occurring. Error management should be an essential element of learning processes in all organizations and leaders should provide support for employees upset about making an error.

Death and Dying – How to Be There for a Dying Patient and Their Family

Death can be an extremely upsetting time, with its aftermath having lasting repercussions for all involved. How you react after hearing of someone’s passing can have a great impact on both their family and yours.

Many are left feeling uncertain what they should expect when someone close to them is dying, so understanding what’s ahead may help ease some of the stress and anxiety.

1. Be there

Death can be a profoundly life-altering event for all involved, touching everyone involved on physical, psychological, social and spiritual levels. People experiencing their death can feel many emotions such as shock, fear, sadness relief anxiety. Being present for someone during this process is invaluable – make time to visit them while they’re dying or be there in person as much as you can.

Listening and being supportive are also key when caring for a dying patient. Your presence could fulfill needs such as water or the desire to discuss past experiences – giving these things will make the individual feel valued and loved by you.

Many medical professionals struggle with providing care during this difficult period, when focus shifts from curing disease to planning for end of life preparations. Education on what to expect may help you understand this new phase more fully and bring comfort to both patients and family members alike.

As someone near death may lose some senses, you should attempt to limit any outside noises and conversations that might disturb them. On the contrary, those remaining may often become sharper so it is essential that anyone talking with them speak slowly and clearly.

Some dying loved ones can find it difficult to discuss what’s happening for fear of upsetting them; however, it is quite normal for loved ones of someone in hospice to be surprised or alarmed at what their physical changes look like, making this conversation all the more useful.

If someone who is dying cannot speak, you can still assist by using a soft voice or gently touching their arm or hand. Lip balm or special swabs may also help. Finally, offer hot tea or coffee as well as light refreshments such as cookies.

2. Don’t be afraid

Though every dying experience is personal, there are certain common signs to watch out for as you navigate your way through it. When approaching death, people typically withdraw from family and become quiet or distant; they may also show little enthusiasm for previously enjoyable activities or interactions with loved ones and friends. This natural part of dying can be comforted with gentle touch, soothing music or words of support from loved ones.

As death approaches, it can often become increasingly difficult for a person to eat and sleep well, with hearing becoming impaired and needing catheters or tubes that drain urine out of their bodies becoming necessary to drain urine away. This can be very distressful for their loved ones so providing comfort should remain top of mind.

Your child may experience decreased bowel movements or darker urine as they consume fewer fluids, and may experience hallucinations where they seem to see or talk to people that aren’t present – resist the urge to correct them by telling them they are imagining it; doing so may only make matters worse. Instead, listen and allow them to experience this as much as it brings joy to their lives as possible.

An elderly or dying individual often requires many pain medications. Hospice teams should help administer pain relief, while for those without hospice care it’s wise to read up on how to give medication at home so you are ready if they require it at any point in time.

3. Be patient

Some individuals can find the last stages of life to be difficult. As their body begins to weaken and their strength diminishes, they may feel powerless against its inevitable progression. They often worry about leaving family and friends behind or the pain they will be in; since many may no longer be able to communicate their wishes for an end-of-life plan, such as advance directives or living wills; it is vitally important that family and loved ones communicate openly with their doctor regarding how best to provide for them during this trying time.

At this stage, it is highly likely that your loved one is terminal and experiencing intense discomfort. At such times, it is crucial for them to know that someone is there with them and talking about past experiences as well as those who have passed on may provide comfort as it allows the patient time to remember deceased family members who may visit either in dreams or reality.

It is important to seek assistance for the physical work associated with caring for a dying friend or family member. Doing everything yourself can be exhausting and emotionally taxing; find a group of willing family and friends willing to lend a helping hand with these tasks so you can spend more time with your loved one when they require your presence.

4. Be kind

At this difficult time, it’s essential to keep in mind that the person dying wants you to be happy. Doing activities they enjoy or talking about happy memories may bring great comfort; try not to talk too much about death and their impending end as this may upset them further.

Dying people often express concerns to those closest to them as their mortality approaches – from fearing becoming a burden or needing care, worries their relationships will fall apart or wanting to make amends. While approaching these topics can be tricky, being open and honest with your loved one will allow them to feel supported.

Remembering that dying people may sometimes appear angry and unpleasant can provide comfort to loved ones who remain close by holding onto what physical contact there still is with them.

Being kind can be an excellent way to show your loved ones you care, and reaching out to others grieving the same loss is often proven effective at improving mood and coping strategies. Reaching out might mean anything from donating to charities supported by them to framing photos from fun times together or planting trees or gardens in memory of them – or it might simply mean keeping spirits high for yourself as you provide comfort to others who might need someone there; joining a support group might even offer useful information on how best to be there for loved ones when needed.

5. Be positive

At the active dying phase, patients experience their heart rate and blood circulation slowing down, breathing becoming shallower, and often being unable to communicate. Their physical symptoms may be difficult for those closest to them to endure; but providing caregiving assistance during this difficult period could bring comfort.

People living with terminal illnesses want to be open with loved ones about their end-of-life plans, including fears, worries and concerns they might be harboring; sometimes this includes wanting to repair relationships that have become damaged. Listen carefully without interrupting and gently assure them that their wishes will be honored by you and yourself.

Help them to comprehend the changes they are experiencing physically. For example, they may begin trembling more frequently, losing weight and becoming confused. Although touch and hearing sensitivity may decline over time, many patients still can sense comforting hands or hear voices belonging to loved ones.

Effective Communication and Symptom Management in Palliative Care for Nurses

Palliative care services may be provided by primary care physicians, specialists in cancer or cardiovascular treatment, home health agencies or hospice companies – or through multidisciplinary teams at hospitals and medical centers.

Psychological palliative care offers emotional support, teaching coping skills and helping individuals find meaning in their experiences – all designed to make patients feel empowered and supported.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical approach intended to alleviate suffering and enhance quality of life for those living with serious, chronic or terminal illnesses. It includes supportive services like pain management and emotional/spiritual support; palliative care should be available as part of integrated people-centred health services for all those who need it, whether dying of cancer or from other diseases like cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, drug-resistant tuberculosis infection, severe burns, extreme birth prematurity or end-stage chronic illness.

Persons seeking palliative care typically are referred by their healthcare provider or doctor to a palliative care team, typically consisting of multidisciplinary professionals such as palliative care specialists and nurses as well as other experts such as physiotherapists, dieticians, social workers or chaplains. This team works alongside both patient and family in providing optimal care.

Nurses are an essential component of palliative care, as they must effectively communicate with patients, families and healthcare professionals alike. Nurses must also manage distressing symptoms like pain and nausea which may be unpredictable and difficult to control.

Many people living with serious, chronic, or terminal illness would prefer living at home as it enables them to spend as much time as possible with family and friends. Unfortunately, nurses may find it difficult to build meaningful relationships outside the hospital with these individuals.

Nursing’s key role in palliative care involves helping identify what is most important for each individual patient, by assessing their goals, needs and preferences as well as current state of mind. With this information in hand, nurses can then create and implement a care plan tailored specifically to meeting those needs.

Nurses aspiring to enter palliative care must undergo training. These may take the form of attending classes at universities or community colleges, finding mentors with experience in this field or passing an RN exam in order to practice legally in their country of choice.

Symptom management

Symptom management is one of the cornerstones of palliative care. This service encompasses managing physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, respiratory issues, vomiting, loss of appetite and constipation while also managing emotional and spiritual distress. Furthermore, palliative care helps patients make end-of-life decisions with family support while providing social support – ultimately the goal is to reduce pain so patients have a higher quality of life.

Nurses play an essential role in orchestrating palliative care plans with other members of the healthcare team, from discussing patient goals and understanding their wishes, to communicating with family members regarding conditions and treatment, symptoms, as well as what to expect in future visits from a specialist palliative care unit. Nurses can help navigate difficult conversations about illness progression or end of life care more easily than would otherwise occur.

Palliative care teams consist of various professionals such as doctors, nurses and allied health workers such as social workers, chaplains and psychologists. When first diagnosed, palliative care services should be implemented promptly as early intervention has proven to reduce hospitalizations, improve symptom control and ensure improved patient outcomes.

Palliative care has increasingly proven its worth for all people with serious illness, regardless of type or stage. Yet more needs to be done regarding communication and symptom management within palliative care practices.

Nurses need to acquire skills for effective communication with both patients and their families, and that how information is presented may have an impactful result in terms of perceptions and understanding; this can be especially challenging when communicating with people suffering from complex chronic diseases like cancer.

Effective communication between patients and their families is a core competency for nurses. By honing these skills, effective nurses can reduce suffering while strengthening patient-clinician relationships. This skill becomes especially helpful during transitions from curative care to palliative care, so it is crucial that nurses work collaboratively on developing best practices in this area of nursing practice.

Advance care planning

Palliative care nurses need to be proficient at communicating about end-of-life decisions and symptoms management, which requires leading open discussions that may not always be comfortable or easy.

Conversations around end-of-life decision making should take place several times during a patient’s illness trajectory. At these talks, it is crucial to discuss values, goals, preferred methods for medical treatment at end of life and family and medical caregiver roles in end-of-life decision making – early engagement can reduce conflict when discordant perspectives or unfamiliarity exist between family members or unfamiliarity of patient wishes are an issue.

Nurses are an integral component of a palliative care team, which may also include social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, dieticians and physicians. All these professionals should work collaboratively to ensure that the palliative care plan is being carried out appropriately; including providing patients with appropriate symptom management support while meeting desired outcomes for improved quality of life.

Paliative care may be provided at any point during a disease or medical condition, including cancer treatment. However, it is most frequently administered in the last year of life and it’s best advised that palliative care begins as soon as symptoms become difficult to manage or their prognosis worsens. For many patients it’s beneficial to receive palliative care early rather than waiting until their prognosis worsens or symptoms become difficult to control before seeking assistance from palliative care agencies.

Nurses have faced particular difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of communication and end-of-life planning skills. With personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements and physical distancing protocols needed for PPE use; visiting restrictions at hospitals and long-term care facilities; triage protocols emphasizing providing maximum benefit rather than individual patient needs being implemented, nurses have had to reconsider their approach to communication and care delivery for end of life situations.

No matter the challenges involved in communicating about medical care preferences for an incapacitated patient. Nursing research shows that effective communication between nurses and their patients can result in improved end-of-life outcomes for both parties involved.

Communication

Living with serious illness is a tremendously challenging experience that has lasting repercussions for an individual, their family and relationships. Nurses are in an ideal position to facilitate conversations about palliative care with their patients and assist in finding resources tailored specifically to their needs.

Palliative care services can be found in every health setting imaginable – hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and home care settings alike. Nurses trained in palliative care possess the expertise needed to provide care wherever it may be provided.

Effective communication is a key aspect of palliative care, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses have faced unique challenges related to protective clothing wear, physical distancing from patients and families, visiting restrictions in hospitals and care homes and visiting restrictions within hospitals; all this makes discussing patient goals and preferences even harder when limited healthcare resources are available and triage protocols prioritize urgent cases over less-urgent ones.

Nurses can assist their patients in making informed choices by explaining all available options, providing advance care planning guidance and helping them understand the effects of their treatment on daily life. In addition, nurses can teach patients and their families how to manage symptoms and cope with stress effectively as well as provide emotional support and encourage spiritual assistance when needed.

As nurses understand, not all patients want to discuss their illnesses and end of life wishes openly with healthcare teams; yet it is essential that communication be open regarding both how illness has impacted life as well as wishes for end-of-life care. Nurses are uniquely situated within healthcare teams to facilitate these discussions due to their intimate knowledge of patients as well as extensive relationships.

Palliative care is not a cure, but can reduce the burden of serious illness on mind, body and soul. People living with life-limiting illness can benefit from discussing palliative care services with their health care provider at any point – even before receiving their initial diagnosis. To locate a provider of palliative care services search the Palliative Care Provider Directory.

Handling Difficult Families and Managing Family Expectations and Emotions for Nurses

Nursing can often put nurses in contact with difficult family members – from critical parents to children who behave inappropriately – which can create stress, fear and anxiety – not to mention feelings of inadequacy or failure.

Though it would be ideal if difficult relatives changed their ways, chances are they won’t. Instead of dwelling on their negative traits, seek out their positive attributes instead.

1. Be Prepared

Nursing can often become increasingly stressful as patients’ families remain present throughout their journeys. Most relatives appreciate and thank nurses for the care and compassion provided; however, some relatives can act rudely, manipulate, or bully them into submission.

Though you cannot control the behavior of difficult family members, you can prepare yourself for interactions before gatherings occur. For instance, if your aunt frequently criticizes your career choice it would help if you thought through how you might respond before she comes over. Furthermore, if there are certain topics such as religion, politics or money which tend to spark disagreements you can try avoiding those topics as much as possible.

As well as setting personal boundaries and setting expectations about what won’t be tolerated from others, you should set personal boundaries that define what won’t be accepted from them. For instance, if someone consistently makes insensitive or offensive remarks about your life choices or the lack of children in your relationship, leaving the conversation may help prevent emotional abuse while protecting both mental and physical wellbeing.

Mindful communication can be an effective strategy for dealing with difficult people in both work and home situations, including recognising your anxiety levels and learning how to observe without judgment the other person. You may practice breathing exercises, focus on present moment conversations and redirect when discussions start going off track.

At the core, it is crucial to keep in mind that you and your colleague share one goal – providing patient-care services safely and effectively. So take each situation slowly; even those that may seem difficult may have good intentions behind their actions.

2. Be Empathetic

Though your first instinct may be to become annoyed with difficult family members, try instead to see them as individuals who have encountered hardship and are currently suffering. They may have endured pain, loss and trauma throughout their lives that has resulted in them forming bitter resentments against life’s circumstances – this doesn’t excuse their behavior but can help you understand their circumstances more and potentially reduce stress levels on both ends.

Empathizing with patients and their families is vital in order for nurses to deliver optimal care; yet taking time out for self-care and maintaining a good work/life balance are also vital in order to provide quality nursing. This is especially crucial in acute care settings where nurses may encounter numerous distressed patients on an ongoing basis; nurses who work here may experience compassion fatigue which results in feelings of personal vicarious trauma and depression (Adams et al, 2009).

Difficult family members often provoke nurses into arguments over trivial matters like food portions or room temperature, prompting a conflict to emerge. Nurses need to learn how to recognise these triggers in order to avoid being drawn into an unhelpful, toxic cycle of argumentation and counterargument. If a conversation becomes too intense for you, try leaving or fake calling away so as to gain some peace and quiet; otherwise express your concerns in an open, respectful manner with an explanation that it has caused difficulty; setting boundaries with those closest to us is especially essential if there’s potential emotional abuse arises between two parties.

3. Listen

Listening skills are an invaluable asset for nurses, and especially helpful when dealing with difficult family members. Active listening shows your interest in hearing their point of view even if you disagree, helping de-escalate situations.

Avoid interrupting or talking over people, which may make them feel as if you’re ignoring them. If you don’t know what to say, consider asking open-ended questions that allow people to express themselves freely; such as “How does this make you feel?” or “What concerns do you have regarding their health?”

Empathize with another by explaining what your experience as a nurse. For example, “I understand why you might be worried about the condition of your daughter”. Showing you care will likely make the person less defensive or difficult.

Finally, be open to communicating with difficult family members via phone or email, if meeting is not an option. This may be the only way you can have a productive dialogue that is safe for all involved.

As a nurse, balancing work and family responsibilities can be challenging; competing priorities can sometimes result in feelings of guilt or failure. But learning to manage yourself effectively by setting boundaries for yourself and setting clear responsibilities will make the difference between healthy relationships and toxic ones.

4. Be Patient

Your actions cannot control those of others; all you can do is focus on yourself and how you react in challenging family situations. Effective communication, self-care practices, time off management strategies and seeking support are key components to successfully managing both nursing career and family life.

If working with the family of your patient proves challenging, seeking guidance from an external mentor could prove useful. They may assist in identifying triggers and offering strategies to manage emotions more effectively.

Some of the most challenging patient families to work with are those that demand too much of your attention and have unrealistic expectations. While family involvement should certainly be included in treatment plans, don’t allow it to dominate your shift or derail care for other patients. Don’t hesitate to request some breathing room from this situation and listen to what your team says as direction.

Family dynamics can be complicated and can make accepting that their loved one has limited options difficult for some family members. Furthermore, there may be instances in which cultural or religious beliefs conflict with medical team recommendations which cause tension and further create anger among family members.

If you find yourself repeatedly dealing with difficult family members, it may be time to reconsider your position in healthcare. While you have control over who your friends are, sometimes family is something you cannot choose. By approaching these situations gradually and staying focused on caring for patients instead of getting caught up in drama and stress from family members that make life hard – you will probably thank yourself later!

5. Be Positive

Family gatherings should be joyful occasions, yet sometimes they can be anything but. Personality clashes, annual disputes and difficult family members can quickly turn a happy occasion into a stressful situation. Nurses already face stress from long shifts, sicker patients or staffing issues; adding stressful family dynamics into the mix could further add strain to an already high amount of tension they already feel on a daily basis.

Nurses can practice self-care by getting enough rest and eating well – this will give them energy to remain positive when dealing with difficult family members. They should connect with supportive individuals in their lives and pursue hobbies they find enjoyable; perhaps joining a nursing professionals’ or working parents’ support group might provide relief from similar struggles.

Nurses must remain respectful when setting boundaries; however, they shouldn’t hesitate to assert themselves and call out inappropriate behaviors from patients or visitors. According to Kelly Ann Ydrovo of Middle School Math Teacher and Mom of Two Middle School Girls Kelly Ann Ydrovo suggests: “It isn’t rude to assert yourself and inform someone their behavior is unacceptable – just don’t make it an ongoing battle!”

Pleasing others may be tempting, but doing so could prove disastrous for both you and your patient. Difficult family members may interpret your efforts to appease them as weakness on your part; trying to change someone so difficult would likely only result in futile effort on both parts. Instead, focus on accepting them as they are and turning them into more of a caricature in your mind so as to lessen the perceived threat or even make you laugh about them more easily.

Navigating Hospital Politics and Interacting With Management for Nurses

Navigating hospital politics and communicating effectively with management are integral parts of professional growth for new nurses. Acquiring political acumen will allow nurses to lead in their profession.

Ambivalent hybrids in Kenyan public hospitals interpreted and implemented hybrid clinical managerial roles differently, sometimes opting out of them when they were likely to undermine their professional legitimacy, but often using them to increase status or authority or further personal agendas.

1. Be Prepared

Most nurses are familiar with petty hospital politics, particularly power plays between peers. But more important politics are often out of sight and hard to manage; therefore, new nurses must remain professional while keeping a sharp focus on both patient safety and their own careers.

Nurses should always come prepared for meetings with management. This involves reading material before attending and thinking carefully about any potential issues that may arise during a meeting, which demonstrates your initiative and commitment while making an impressionful first impression on those you interact with; additionally it shows them you won’t just ‘rubber stamp’ decisions made by others.

Research on nursing leadership highlights the necessity of understanding and engaging with micropolitics within healthcare organisations. Interview studies of healthcare professionals and managers have examined how biographical narratives shape on-going identity work related to micro-politics of organizing healthcare work.

Early studies were relatively atheoretic and descriptive of nurse leaders and hospital managers’ ability to read situations and identify “lines of power”, while more recent research draws more explicitly upon Ferris and colleagues’ concept of political skill ().

Research conducted using this type of approach has also shed light on healthcare workers’ engagement with organizational change. Findings indicate that those able to interpret context better are better at negotiating and implementing change; those using their knowledge of power relationships to engage others more effectively make for more effective healthcare leaders; Nursing graduates holding Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees can use this knowledge in future careers in healthcare settings to encourage positive transformations within hospital systems and beyond.

2. Be Self-Aware

Many nurses must participate in hospital politics as part of their job responsibilities, with some even lobbying state or local elected officials for their position. But navigating hospital politics can be challenging – and nurses must recognize influences and strategies in order to effectively navigate hospital politics.

Nurses who lack the ability to identify political influences or strategies could become more vulnerable to negative effects. Recognizing their role in organizational politics – known as self-awareness – is also critical. Self-awareness involves understanding how your actions and words influence others as well as how their behaviors shape workplace culture.

An individual with self-awareness understands their behavior and its effects on those around them in the workplace, such as gossiping or sending negative emails. A nurse with this awareness knows when their actions impact others around them – perhaps this means simply being careful when making comments in emails or speaking at meetings.

Nurses can get involved with positive nursing policies to mitigate negative organizational politics by volunteering for committees or taking an interest in legislative agendas, creating an uplifting work environment while improving patient care outcomes. This approach has the power to foster success for everyone involved.

Negative organizational politics can have a devastating impact on patient care. One New York City hospital that had to cancel elective surgeries and divert ambulances during the COVID-19 pandemic due to staff shortages saw their patient satisfaction scores decrease significantly due to tension between managers and nurses.

New nurses should gain experience before engaging in formal nursing politics, yet should still remain aware of its negative effects on both patients and workplace. New nurses can reduce potential negative energy by learning the intricacies of organizational politics and communicating positively with management.

3. Be a Team Player

Though modern nursing workplaces are highly professionalized and nurses possess more education, knowledge, and expertise than ever before, there still exists some level of status hierarchy that must be navigated in order to advance one’s career. Nurses must understand organizational politics in order to stay ahead in their careers.

One of the best ways to navigate office politics successfully is to become a team player. Being part of a cohesive unit means prioritizing group interests over personal ones, as well as doing whatever necessary for supporting coworkers. Successful team players share credit equally among all team members and define success collectively rather than individually.

New grads who want to sidestep nursing politics can build healthy communication by working collaboratively on projects, meetings and presentations with their coworkers. Email communication should also be monitored carefully – long emails that contain complaints or negativity should be avoided as much as possible and when serious matters need discussing face-to-face meetings should be scheduled immediately.

One effective strategy is offering assistance when requested; be careful not to overdo it though as that could come off as insincere or micromanaging. Also keep in mind that it may not always be appropriate to copy your boss on all correspondences.

Though it’s impossible to completely avoid office politics, knowing how to manage them is crucial for creating an ideal work environment where patients remain paramount. With these strategies in mind, creating an ideal work environment is achievable.

4. Be Respectful

Advocates can often advocate for their patients at the micro level by making sure that the work environment is safe and the care process efficient. Nurses can also contribute to policy change by serving on hospital-based committees such as those focused on infection control or quality initiatives – this gives nurses invaluable insights into the policy making process as well as an opportunity to articulate nursing’s voice within health policy conventions.

Nurses can assume greater public advocacy roles by participating in health-related groups like the American Nurses Association or taking on environmental concerns like Pennsylvania State Nurses Association’s call to suspend fracking until human ecological safety can be guaranteed. When engaging in more formal political activities, however, nurses must always respect themselves and others involved.

Organizational politics can be complicated to decipher and can often turn out to be negative when people use their positions and powers for personal gain or as an excuse to punish those whom they perceive as threats. As new grad nurses enter their careers, it is imperative for them to realize that any behavior that disrupts productivity or causes dissatisfaction in the workplace will ultimately lead to greater discontentment with their career path. An effective strategy for navigating workplace politics involves cultivating trusting relationships and being open about goals and concerns. Nurses will benefit from adopting this strategy when necessary, in order to promote good will amongst their peers and minimize instances of bullying that may arise amongst them. Furthermore, these techniques will help nurses avoid passive or aggressive responses that might thwart achieving professional objectives.

5. Be Honest

Honest communication between colleagues, physicians and patients is vital in building trust and relieving stress. Indeed, neuroscience studies show that our brain responds differently when told a lie compared to when told the truth; hence the truth lays the groundwork for progress as well as prevent conflict or misunderstandings; creating meaningful relationships and working together towards improving health outcomes is contingent on such honesty being practiced between them all.

Nurses frequently find themselves dealing with organizational politics. Each workplace setting involves competing interests, scarce resources and power struggles that necessitate careful navigation of organizational politics. While nurses cannot eliminate workplace politics altogether, they can learn its impact to better manage it.

As nurses were confronted with staffing shortages and limited supplies such as PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, some may have wanted to fight their colleagues for it – rather, working together as an interprofessional team was the most efficient solution to dealing with this challenge.

Nurses have long been revered as leaders, and this approach exemplifies that. Additionally, this technique applies to meeting challenges facing hospital systems as a whole and meeting public advocacy requirements during times of healthcare crises.

As part of their role, nurses must engage in policymaking that is true to nursing’s ancestry, values, and professional conscience. With extensive clinical practice knowledge – as well as their unique perspective of healthcare system realities – nurses play an indispensable role in shaping policymakers and improving healthcare outcomes. It is therefore imperative that nurses engage in policymaking using an informed framework as part of the policymaking process.