What Would Success in This Role Look Like for You?

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Living a good life is all about managing your expectations. Decades ago, I remember watching an interview with Paul McCartney of the Beatles after the death of his first wife, Linda, from breast cancer. She was only 56 and left four children. The interviewer asked Paul if he felt life was unfair. He replied that he did not think life was unfair and had always believed that No one gets to have a perfect life. Everyone, despite their income or fame, has challenges. 

McCartney’s words stayed with me until this day because I knew they contained great wisdom. Fast-forward to today, when social media sites like Instagram allow us to display our highlight reel for all to admire. Very few of the lives behind these pictures are as perfect as portrayed. Yet, in some ways, they set an unachievable standard for viewers, who become more discontent with their lives.

A good friend who is not in healthcare told me several years ago his granddaughter had just gotten her dream job. I was curious about labeling her first work experience as “a dream job.” So, I asked what makes this “a dream job.” He further explained that it was her preferred specialty (ED) in a prestigious medical center in the city where she wanted to live. She was happy with the pay and proud that she was among only 20 selected for the role.

In less than one year, she had left the position. He told me it had not met her expectations and was not what she thought it would be. The work was harder than anticipated, and she wanted more scheduling flexibility than the manager could provide. It was a classic case of unmet expectations. His granddaughter had focused on the role’s upsides but had given little consideration to what might be challenging. She had no work experience before her first nursing role, so she had nothing to compare it to. She also had little idea of the RN’s professional role before accepting the position and had few expert nurses in her work setting to guide her. Interestingly at the 2024 Gallup Workforce Summit, there was significant discussion about how the lack of role clarity in the workplace leads to workforce dissatisfaction.

Nurse leaders often ask me how we can level-set expectations so new nurses have a clearer picture of what they are getting into. Last week, a perioperative nurse manager told me she requires four shadowing experiences in the OR before a job offer. She noted that one shadowing experience is not enough. By the fourth, the candidates had enough exposure to different team members and situations to determine whether it was right for them. Other nurse leaders are involved in academic-practice partnerships that place all senior nursing students into PCT roles on units where they are paid and may even receive clinical hours. These initiatives facilitate the transition process and help with expectations, although some leaders have told me that first and second-year retention may or may not improve.

Nurse leaders should do two things right now when interviewing new graduates. The first is to thoroughly review the position description to clarify the RN role and expectations. The second is to add this question to your interviewing toolbox: What would success in this role look like for you? This challenging question forces us to reflect on and verbalize our expectations. There are no guarantees that either will always work, but I think they are steps in the right direction.

© emergingrnleader.com 2024

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