One of the goals of the 2010 Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Future of Nursing report was to increase the leadership and organizational involvement of nurses at all levels. As a nurse, you can make a difference and increase your voice and leadership skills by being a valuable member of a hospital committee.
It is rewarding and fulfilling to contribute to successful outcomes with a group of people. Being part of a team helps us achieve greater goals than we can alone. This is especially true in healthcare when the stakes are usually high, and the goals are substantial. Being part of a positive team versus one that is negative can make a world of difference. Hopefully, you have participated in teams that have been so gratifying and productive that you want to work with those people again or replicate that success to other team environments in your life. Conversely, many of us may have participated in a group or committee where some of the members did not participate, say or did things to only “stir the pot” or sabotaged the work of others. These can be frustrating experiences and can decrease morale and productivity.
Many adults experience at least some level of anxiety when preparing for a needle procedure — but for young patients, it can be especially traumatic. Often, children’s apprehension originates from a fear of bodily harm, their lack of control over the situation, and their lack of experience undergoing venipuncture.
When many people think of taking a child to the doctors, even if it is for a routine check-up, the words “fast” and “efficient” are probably not in their top-ten list of adjectives to describe the experience. Although there is an unimaginably long list of variables to consider when keeping a pediatric patient (especially younger ones) calm during the visit, there are some fairly manageable techniques and changes you can consider implementing into your routine that may help smooth out the experience.
The world has changed in many ways over the last couple weeks and months. Some of those changes are for the better, some are inconvenient or frustrating and some are temporary.
