By Anonymous
Throughout my 20 plus years of experience in nursing, I have been inspired every day by the colleagues I work with – the skills and the care they demonstrate and the thoughtful way my nursing colleagues are with our patients, families and each other has always been clear…
Recently, I learnt so much from witnessing a colleague who didn’t hold back as they advocated for a patient: they significantly changed the outcome and treatment plan for that patient.
Whilst outcomes for our patients are important, what I really observed and appreciated was how this simple action created a ripple effect within the broader local nursing community.
In this particular instance a doctor was going to proceed with a certain course of action for a patient. My colleague at the time had concerns with the approach and hence asked what was the rationale, so they could understand the doctor’s reasoning. As a result it became clear that the original course of action was not in the best interests of the patient. So the plan of care was changed.
The thing that is very important to highlight here is the way that my colleague spoke to the doctor. They spoke to the doctor to highlight concerns, so that everyone came to a new level of understanding. It was not about proving anyone right or wrong. What was said was said with great care, knowing that the original plan, albeit not correct, was made from a place of caring for the patient and wanting to provide relief of symptoms.
Through one nurse’s choice to not hold back and action what they felt to be true, all other nurses now know that they too can speak honestly about what they are observing and what they also know to be true.
When we allow ourselves to speak up with honesty, we put a stop to sitting on the back fence, fuelling thoughts that we can’t do or say anything, speaking up empowers us and also means that there are no regrets felt for not speaking up later on.
The nurses could now also see that communicating what is needed, with care and respect at the time, is supportive for everyone involved, even if there is a difference of opinion. Nurses are professionals of equal standing with all other health professionals,and because we get to know our patients very well, we have the knowing and the ability to support not only each other but also other health professionals, whilst recognising and honouring the particular skills of each professional, and that what we have to say and how it is presented matters.
Advocating for the patient in this instance was not easy for my colleague and I observed the conversations that they were having with other trusted colleagues afterwards. With this my colleague ensured they also received the support they needed through this process.
To speak up may not always be an easy thing to do but it does allow for further communication and important considerations to be shared, and what I saw was this particular conversation has had a ripple effect across the workplace for many other nurses.
It is important to appreciate far beyond what a person has done or offered, for there is always more we may not even consider. The ripple effect means when we respond in such a way, we may never know who has been touched or inspired by our words or actions, regardless of the outcome; but we can feel solid in the knowing that we have not held back from expressing what we feel is needed at the time.
Read more:
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
An organisation that works with young people where they can walk in off the street to speak with someone recently shared with me 2 years ago a young person walked in and spoke with a member of staff for not even an hour, they never heard from him again. That is until recently when he recently came back to thank them as he said that moment with them had really helped and supported him and changed everything for him. We may not be fully aware of the power or support of what we express but you clearly show here of such a ripple effect and also the importance of speaking up.
The world is slowly changing, where women, now are heard through the old values and beliefs. There is no betterment in these actions or belittling of another. Truth is a ripple that touches everyone equally.
Honesty is something that if applied would have the power to turn our world upside down. If we were all to get honest then there would not be one relationship, one workplace, one institution, one industry or one government that would not be shaken to the core. Everything would be in turmoil because currently the status quo is maintained by our steady stream of lies. We lie without even acknowledging that that is what we’re doing. Lies are part of our culture and part of our heritage, they hold our everyday behaviour together, they are our social norm. Lies keep the world as it is.
A beautifull observation and appreciation for your colleague highlighting the importance of the way we respect and communicate with one another is for the benefit of all.
What really stood out for me when reading this article was how the nurse that spoke up was able to do this despite the ingrained hierarchical ladder that exists within medical professions. Traditionally and to this day specialists and doctors are seen as the ones who make the bigger decisions about patient care and the nurses are the ones who carry out that care. And so for a nurse to question a doctors decision takes a definite dedication to patient care, a deep connection to truth and a strong sense of self. The fact that it was done with such care and respect for the doctor shows a great depth of sensitivity and understanding. And this for me is how the world should operate, no one ‘above’ another in such a way that they are aloof and unapproachable, we should all feel free to contribute in all situations in any that’s genuinely supportive.
The ripple effect will infect become a tsunami one day as the loving energy is seen as normal.
It is never about being wrong or right when we share our truth without holding back what we feel.
Sitting back and staying quiet appears to harmonise and provide a level of Dacorum. But all it truly does is let falsehoods flow and so what we are left with is of no true value. That’s the irony – we sit on the fence but in doing this rot away all the wood underneath – eventually it falls down and we are forced to wake up.
The medical profession is about caring for the patient and everyone has an equal voice in deciding the most appropriate way to treat each person at any given moment.
An article yesterday stated that nurses in the UK have increased by 4.6% in the last five years, but admissions have jumped by 12.3%. Last year there were 12.2m hospital admissions. What pressure is there to do one’s job, let alone speak up with this tide of patients. Nurses are the ones at the coal face that never ends, but our disregard is overshadowing their numbers, and we are becoming the coal face.
Often in nursing adequate nurse to patient ratios are often discussed by unions and governments as a way to obtain more nurses. Your comment “but our disregard is overshadowing their numbers” reflects what I ponder on and that is will we ever have enough nurses? Even if we employ more, given our level of illness and disease; the chronicity of ill health, the psychosocial components (which are huge by the way) that affect health, will we ever have enough? Unless something changes with how we care for ourselves and our own health and wellbeing, I doubt it.
Absolutely Steve, and adding to what you have shared coal is a carbon based substance that when put under enough pressure turns to Diamonds.
We often have this idea that one person cannot make a difference and that speaking up is futile because it won’t change anything but here is a clear example that it can make a difference.
The apathy that allows for being given up is completely eroding. When we take Brexit, for example, we can see that all those people who thought that the remain vote was bound to win, without making sure of it by using their own vote shows that every voice counts. Every vote has mattered in parliament over every issue that has been debated and it is clear that with just one person speaking out, we can raise awareness for all.
When we can get rank out of the way as we can value our equal input and see that everything is team work. Everyone is doing the best they can and positions within the ranking systems at work (and within other hierarchical structures) do not mean perfection – everyone has something valuable to express and our equal input is often very necessary.
I agree Melinda. Someone might be ranked ‘above another’ due to certain skills that they possess, such as ability to lead a team or ability to come up with innovative ideas but their qualities and skills won’t be the qualities and skills that are needed in all situations and so everyone should be free and indeed encouraged to jump in when they feel to and contribute their insights and strengths ay any given time. So much is held back with our hierarchical ladders both at work and socially, people are kept down and kept small and as a result all of us are kept down and kept small. Every single one of us should be actively encouraged to bring our all to the table all of the time.
Great example of how it is not ever about right or wrong – unless we make it so, of course, and to the detriment of all.
‘Nurses are professionals of equal standing with all other health professionals,’ Failing to speak up when we feel we are in a ‘lesser’ role exposes just how divided we are and how much we play into the feeling of being lesser and so behaving lesser. Acknowledging that we are equal and that our roles, whilst they may not garner so much status or pay, are nonetheless vital for the whole means that we begin to really value and appreciate what we bring. When we can do this, that feeling is invited in by others too. I am sure the doctor in question really valued the input of your colleague and was grateful that it was handled so professionally and with such integrity.
Great comment Michelle, and what a great line “we play into the feeling of being lesser and so behaving lesser.” I can see this okay out in my own life when I hold someone on a pedestal and then can hold back my equal expression.
Yes – and then we keep the whole system turning as it is, as there is no example of anyone holding their own as an equal in so called ‘inferior’ positions. It is not the norm yet to see everyone living as equals as we still have to get to the point where it is considered at all.
Great that the doctor was able to see that it was about the best outcome for the patient and not about him being ‘wrong’. Had the nurse brought it up in another way, perhaps with a hint of criticism, ridicule or even scorn then the doctor might have clamped down and insisted on his original course of action purely so that he wasn’t seen to be undermined. This goes on all of the time, we’re hungry for power and identity and often make those things our priority.
Absolutely Alexis. Within myself I have had to really look at my motives for opening my mouth. If the expression of truth is laced with any form or need for recognition or has an ounce of self it it, then it is not true and is simply heard and received in a way that invites defence. However if we speak the truth with nothing laced and the other reacts, we need to be able to read it for what it is.
Speaking up brings a light feeling in the body, holding back feels stuffy and draining, holding back then speaking up comes with relief but also a drained feeling.
‘It was not about proving anyone right or wrong.’ Amazing diplomacy. How we speak to people is so important.
‘It was not about proving anyone right or wrong,,,’ amazing diplomacy that had a great outcome for the patient. How we speak to people is so important.
What a great example of what happens, when we all get rid of the walls that stratify them and us. When we get ourselves out of the way, the true purpose it is felt by many.
It’s usually us that get in the way of true purpose. Our need for identification, our addiction to emotions, our lack of honesty, our dedication to distorting the clarity of our bodies and our alignment to an energy that avoids true purpose like the plague all contribute to a lack of true purpose in our lives. Many of us think that we have true purpose, especially those of us who are dedicated to ‘saving the planet’ in some way or invested in charitable crusades but unless the energy that is fuelling those ventures comes straight from Heaven then it’s corrupted. Corrupted to the core.