Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Saturday, 23 February 2019: 8:30 AM

LeAnne Prenovost, DNP, MSN-Ed, MBA, MHA
Academics, School of Nursing, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Introduction:

Nurses in all areas of practice face daily challenges as a result of the fast paced, high tech, and complex health care settings. It’s a real jungle out there and this hat requires nurses and health care organizations to find ways to cultivate the jungle. Productive, fun, interventions that improve the nurse to nurse relationship and contribute to creating healthy work environments and taming the wild jungle.

This presentation offers an interactive, productive, bonding experience, that focuses on team building and increasing personal and professional satisfaction, plus fulfills the innate caring response of the nurse while completing a service project. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves, make some friends, take some pictures, have some laughs and assemble some lions and tigers and bears for the “Stuffed Animals for Emergencies” (SAFE) program. These new plush animals will be disseminated to children in traumatic or emotional situations in the New Orleans area. This project is sponsored by the Phi Pi Chapter (#494) of Sigma.

Objectives:

Discuss the impact of nurse relationships in the work environment.

Identify lively interventions to improve nurse to nurse relationships.

Participate in a light-hearted, bonding-experience that culminates in meaningful service activity experience that tames your inner wild animal.

Content:

Moore, Leahy, Sublett, and Lanig (2013) identified nurse to nurse relationships as a key determinant in the health of a work setting. They studied how direct-care nurses relate to each other and this impact on the work environment. Participants were asked to discuss qualities that fostered and supported positive nurse to nurse relationships. Four themes were identified, and these included: 1: supportive interpersonal behaviors among staff nurses, 2: positive leadership actions, 3: teamwork, and 4 effective communication. Surprising, these all center around relationships and not the physical environment or workload of the facility. In fact, when nurses were asked what was missing in their physical environment that could improve the overall work environment, 89% related that nothing more could be done. However; 82% felt that nurse to nurse relationships could be improved. Moore et al’s (2013) study serves to highlight the importance of nurses relating to each other and the significance this plays in creating a healthy work environment

Caring is a component central to nursing and has been widely described as an expression of humanity. Caring for nursing comes in the form of nurses being ‘other centered’ in a helping, trusting partnership with patients. Yet nurses need to practice self-care and the nurse to nurse relationship must be fostered because these relationships directly and indirectly impact patient safety and care the overall work environment (Brett, Branstetter, & Wagner, 2014). Team care and self-care can be facilitated in the work environment. Clevenger (2007) discusses improvement of staff satisfaction with team building retreats that include a fun, productive, bonding experience that contributes to team cohesiveness and improves team relationships. While most busy health care organizations do not have time for a full day or an even half day team building retreat, one option to provide some levity in a bonding and relationship building activity, plus fulfills the innate caring response of the nurse is that of a service project of activity. Clevenger (2007) recommends to keeping the activity happy to create, nurture, and nourish a positive moral. The goals of this type of activity includes: service to your faculty or community, bonding, fun, laughter and many memories. Do not forget to take pictures and celebrate! The overall outcomes of this type of activity include: increased job fulfillment and satisfaction and overall staff retention.

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