Imagine if… you saw the lightbulb moment when your staff understood what an individualized care plan can do for patient care. When they know you are listening to what matters to them, they will, in turn, listen to what matters to their patients. They can learn a step-by-step process to do just that – and to deliver compassionate care.
When you became a front line manager, how did your expectations of the role differ from how you experience it now? Did you get a good orientation to the role, a peer mentor, along with leadership skills training? Or do you sometimes feel you’re just winging it?
I’m sure you have great ideas, and are eager to improve patient care and staff morale. Maybe you had (or still have!) staff who are bullies, or maybe not that bad, but there is incivility on the unit. Complaints about unfair treatment, eye rolling when a new memo comes out from administration, or sharing disrespectful memes and social media posts. And yet, studies show that the primary reason nurses leave their jobs is because they’re not satisfied with their manager.
“When you put compassion at the center of your management style, you’ll find that all of the skills you have will fall into place. You’ll treat your staff with compassion, and they, in turn, will feel inspired to treat their patients (and each other!) with compassion and respect.”
Using excellent leadership skills, communication techniques, boundary setting, and goal setting, you will see that light bulb moment in your staff. When they know you are listening to them, helping them set individualized goals for their career, and satisfaction in their work. They will go home, tired for sure, but gratified in a job well done. It’s a ripple effect that being treated with respect and as an individual, inspires us to treat others that way, too.
Compassionate care of your staff, is the very best way to promote compassionate care for your patients and their families. In this work, we’ll be using a step-by-step process I call C.A.R.E. It will work with any facility, charting system, or care delivery model because it’s a shift in perspective, not a policy or procedure. I’m looking forward to introducing you to all of the steps.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and click the button to sign into the continuing education portal. You can try out some free courses to try things out.
All the best,
Cheryl