Celebrating our value

AORN Journal,  April, 2004  by William J. Duffy

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The health care practice environment is tough. We all know this because we practice in it every day. The pressure to provide care while also meeting the bottom line increasingly weighs on the minds of nursing professionals. Every year, we are challenged to do more with less in an effort to gain more productivity and reduce costs. Recognition of accomplishments appears to be short lived because there always seems to be a new challenge that arises. As this pressure mounts, there is an increased tendency to develop a "put out the fire" focus with a concentration on the cost of a resource and not its benefit. This leaves little time for strategic planning and the development of long-term solutions.

THE VALUE OF NURSING

The nursing profession seems to be particularly vulnerable in this environment. I seem to hear more discussions on the cost of nursing than on the value of nursing. It amazes me that there are discussions that assume the benefit we provide as nurses is part of the process and not related to the skill of the individual practitioner. To justify that assumption, perioperative nursing now is being defined in terms of tasks that need to be accomplished as opposed to an art to be practiced.

Unfortunately, this point of view is not limited to administrators, consultants, and managers. I also have seen this viewpoint among some of our colleagues in clinical practice. These colleagues have gotten caught up in the pressure to perform and are concentrating on the clinical aspects of getting a procedure done as opposed to nursing a patient. At the end of the day, they rush off to other responsibilities and do not experience satisfaction from having touched the lives of so many. Their memory of the day is a blur of tasks and a lack of satisfaction. They are not energized by their efforts or their profession, and the limited energy they have left is saved for their endeavors to find some enjoyment in their lives. This mindset and practice pattern means our patients, profession, Association, and, most of all, our colleagues suffer.

THE POWER OF PERIOPERATIVE NURSING

Celebrating and, in some cases, restoring satisfaction in our practice should be a top priority for every perioperative nurse. A sense of value and recognition of the effect we have on the lives of other human beings can change the course of our careers and our profession. I believe this with such passion that I am dedicating my year of service as AORN's President to a celebration of the value of perioperative nurses. I have witnessed the power of this passion in others during the more than 150 chapter visits I have completed in the past six years. It is evident in the dedication of chapter presidents who care about the educational needs of their colleagues, managers who participate in and support the development of their staff members, and educators who struggle valiantly to try and keep up with new waves of technology when education budgets are being slashed. Most importantly, I have seen it in AORN's members who fight the pressure to just perform tasks and instead take the time to nurse their patients and their colleagues. These individuals are my heroes, and they energize me to serve in a similar manner.

Joanne Niwa, RN, BSN, CNOR, from AORN of Hawaii; Donna Ford, RN, BSN, CNOR, from AORN of Hiawatha Land Minnesota; Sarah Breckenridge, RN, CNOR, from the Oregon State Council of Perioperative Nurses; Kathy Gaberson, RN, PhD, CNOR, from West Virginia; and Estela "Tey" O'Meara, RN, BSN, CNOR, from the Northwest Suburban Chicago chapter are a random sample of heroes representing the hundreds of other members I have met who celebrate the value of our profession and share this value with others. During the course of this year, I would like all of us to recognize the heroes who celebrate our value and spread this positive energy to others.

RECOGNIZING OUR VALUE

During this time of crisis, we need to recognize our value and celebrate our accomplishments. Celebrating at a time like this may seem a little strange, but I think during a crisis is the best time to appreciate our value. It is at these times that we need people to be at their best. By helping nurses celebrate their value, we help them face these challenges with energy and confidence.

I am a big fan of the character George Bailey in the movie It's a Wonderful Life because he brilliantly demonstrates the benefit of appreciating the value we bring to others. Do you remember George Bailey? George's guardian angel allowed him to receive the gift of seeing what life would be like if he was never born. He was able to witness the impact he had on the lives of others, and by the end of the movie, he recognized how his efforts, both big and small, made a difference in his community. It turned out he was the richest man in town.

I believe there is a little bit of George Bailey in all of us. Everyday, we touch the lives of others. I know in my own practice there are individuals alive today because of my interventions, and these interventions were not limited to patients. As a manager, I believe it is my duty to nurse my nurses so they can nurse their patients. By touching their lives, I also touch the lives of their patients. I know my interventions not only make a difference in those lives but also in their spouses' lives, their children's lives, and their children's children's lives. I know you have done the same thing in your practice countless times in ORs across the country.