Having a lead nurse role involves all sorts of activities. The other day I found myself carrying a tea bag, pencil and toffee penny towards my office. I wondered what to make of that handful. No great idea for a blog came to me then.
In the last few days I’ve learnt more about what can go wrong, and how we can sort things out on wards in hospitals just by listening to people.
My heart felt heavy about what I’d heard; now I have to write a report on what happened and what I’ve heard.
Being a lead nurse is not always gazing at the bright shiny business development plans that I might have pencilled in.
As a lead nurse I have lots of people in my care. The team I’m in are great fun to work with, who work very hard. Part of each day is dedicated often implicitly to looking after ourselves, by having drinks and making sure we stop for a lunchtime break. One way to support them is to make the drinks; a simple job (if I remember who wants decaf black coffee, who likes their tea dark with a dash of milk, all in the right mugs) that’s one way to show support. Making sure I have a cuppa on occasion means dipping into the tea bag tin.
The lead nurse sets the tone for the team, and those they come into contact with. There are the days when our Palliative and end of life work will seem heavy. Even so there’s often an opportunity to celebrate some small positive piece of news and to share a gift from a thankful manager or service user. This Christmas, as happened to many others, we were given some sweets as a way to acknowledge our efforts. Amongst the treats were a selection that included toffee pennies, for which I have a little weakness.
Life as a lead nurse is certainly varied; always interesting and with things to learn. The tea bag, pencil and toffee penny have all served to remind me of that variety and that even from such a disparate handful there will be lessons to learn and even a theme for my 100th blog piece.
No comments:
Post a Comment