By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
A nurse leader recently told me – I have been so disappointed in 2021 to look at what is happening to the nursing profession. The focus seems to be on the money, on personal needs – everything but the patient. I am having trouble staying optimistic.
This leader is certainly not alone in her frustration. I remember early in my career complaining to a mentor about how disappointed I was in a team I had put together to push a significant initiative through our VA Medical Center. My mentor smiled and said – great leaders learn to manage their expectations, Rose. Not everything works out, and sometimes other people’s values are far different from yours.
These are wise words for leaders to remember right now. An essential fact that can impact our well-being is unmet expectations. Our expectations are based on our values — what is most important to us. When it comes to our expectations, we project what is important to us onto others. We expect others to act as we would – to value what we value. When they don’t, it can trigger a strong emotional response resulting in stress and anxiety. Here are some unmet expectations that nurse leaders have shared with me over the past six months:
- Nurses will be loyal to their teams and organizations.
- New graduates honor the contracts they sign with health systems.
- New graduates come in professionally socialized and ready to work.
- Nurses who are on FMLA at some point come back to work.
- Travel nurses will respect the organization that employs them and not recruit staff from the units where they are placed.
- Patients and families are civil toward the healthcare staff.
- Nurses will respect their colleagues and not call in 15 minutes before a shift starts.
- All nurses value Patient-centered care.
- Nurses will stay engaged with their units and participate in shared governance.
- When the going gets tough – nurses jump in and help each other.
All of us have expectations. When our expectations are not met, we react emotionally without really understanding why. Sometimes this has a toll on our well-being. 2021 has been a turbulent time in healthcare. There are huge generational shifts in the workforce, and with that comes a change in values and beliefs about nursing. I have done enough retention workshops to say that nurse leaders across the country are feeling everything on this list of unmet expectations. So stop now and reflect on your expectations and ask whether they are truly reasonable in the current environment. You may find that learning to lower and manage your expectations will help you to achieve a high level of well-being in 2022.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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