| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
"In Our Unit" highlights unique practices, innovations, research, or resourceful solutions to commonly encountered problems in critical care areas and settings where critically ill patients are cared for. If you have an idea for an upcoming "In Our Unit," send it to CRITICAL CARE NURSE, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; fax, (949) 362-2049; e-mail, ccn{at}aacn.org.
Excited about accepting the challenge, members of our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) who attended the conference agreed that our colleagues "back home" should be made aware of it. If everyone in the unit made the commitment, our voice would be even bolder and more powerful.
|
Our first step was to present the Bold Voice commitment to our multidisciplinary unit-based Practice Council, which unanimously endorsed and embraced the idea. To lay the groundwork for the initiative, we distributed copies of Barden’s opening session address at the NTI in which she issued the challenge and prominently displayed information, as well as the commitment cards, on a poster in the unit. The entire multidisciplinary team was challenged to commit to Bold Voices.
In addition to those of us who signed the cards at the NTI, more than 40 of our multidisciplinary staff members also signed them. Now, nurses, doctors, child-life therapists, pharmacists, and a myriad of other team members proudly display the "Act Boldly" commitment pin.
Changing the Unit Culture
However, the Bold Voices effort did not stop there! A core group of team members also wanted to change the unit culture to be more nurturing and supportive, a place where professional growth and development would be encouraged.
Because of the nursing shortage, nursing must depend on new or less experienced nurses for staffing. Our unit wanted to provide an atmosphere that transitioned the newer staff in a safe, nurturing way. We wanted to ensure that nursing’s reputation for "eating their young" didn’t carry over into our unit and that new nurses wouldn’t be allowed to simply "sink or swim." We wanted our new colleagues to be recognized immediately as a part of the team.
At a daylong retreat, the group brainstormed ways to ensure that new staff members would be welcomed as equal team members. As a result, the slogan "Bold Voices Build Strong Teams" was adopted, and a bulletin board titled Team PICU was developed. So that new employees can recognize their colleagues, photographs of various team members are posted on this board. A caption below each photograph lists each person’s areas of expertise, which helps new staff know who to seek out for information.
Uniting Against Disrespect
In addition, terms such as "newbies" and "junior" are deemed unacceptable. The group also decided to utilize the words Bold Voices as a call for help when staff members are being disrespected in any way. When Bold Voices is called out, available team members come to the rescue by standing by the person to provide support and assist in diffusing the situation. It doesn’t take long for those who are disrespectful to understand that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
The core group remains active, involved, and committed to Bold Voices. At the end of our retreat day, a statement was penned and signed by the core group members. It read: "I commit to being a team player and mentor in the PICU. I commit to being a positive role model in giving and receiving feedback. I acknowledge that this may involve changes in my own behavior. Bold Voices do make strong teams. I commit to using my bold voice to build the PICU team."
We realize that more is needed than simply signing a commitment card, wearing a pin, and saying a pledge. For our team, lip service to Bold Voices just won’t do.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
