Clinical Update

Change is very hard. I was able to help present at the charge nurse meeting about the benefits of changing to bedside report. I made a poster board for it, and it will be left in the break room for more people to read. We are having a special staff meeting next week on bedside report. I also made the flier for the special staff meeting and I even made a banner last week encouraging staff to do bedside report. The charge nurse meeting was very hard because it is more of an informal meeting with very strong personalities. There was one charge nurse (one of the most experienced on the unit), who was very supportive about the change. She stated how in most of the changes she had fought now she wouldn't have those any other way, and this very well may be one of them. Another charge nurse was very discouraging and had the attitude of well they are making us do this so it doesn't matter what I think. Others were worried about the logistics of it all, but were willing to try it. I think after the meeting we will able to change the feel from complete resistance to let's try it and figure out how to make it work. It was hard to get out of the discussion mode and more into a presentation mode with it being more informal. We needed to teach people about why it was good before they could buy into it. The charge nurses are the leaders on the floor. Once we get them behind it, others will also be behind it due to the simple fact that they will follow their peer leaders. A unit must have leadership in management members but also in the leaders on the floor. It would not work without both sides. You don't have to be a "charge nurse" to be a good leader on the floor. Others follow good leaders, but that good or bad. Hopefully the leaders on the unit are also those behind you/management. Change is hard, but it can be very beneficial. We just have to not be afraid of new ideas and willing to try new things before we form an opinion about them, which can be very challenging!