July Is the Cruelest Month
July is legendary around here. That's when we get the new docs, the greenest of the green. July 1 is the subject of many moans and groans, and I swear that we all go on full alert. July puts us on our edgiest behavior, and makes us more likely to argue and snap than any other time of the year. This July, I have figured out an action plan to guide our new docs through the process. Maybe we'll all be better for it.
- We are all like puzzle pieces. If you lose one piece, you can't finish the puzzle. We are all needed and all important. Without all the pieces, you don't get to see the pretty picture in the end.
- Ignorance is not an opportunity for anger or derision, but an opportunity for education. We all learn something new each day. Maybe it's just someone else's turn to gain the benefit of your knowledge. I bet that one day the favor will be returned when the moment presents itself.
- Everyone is entitled to an off day. When someone isn't quite up to your par, it may just be that today is their off day and maybe they need you to cut them some slack. I can guarantee that we will all have days like that. I don't want someone thinking I'm a complete moron because my brain went on vacation for a night.
- Communication is key. It can and will save lives. Good communication is something we should all be working on. Most mistakes are the result of some kind of a communication breakdown. These are reasons to learn from mistakes that have already been made.
- You should stand up for your patient. You may be all they have, and if you don't advocate for them, maybe no one will. I work in the NICU where these guys can't speak up and stand up for themselves. Their health care team may literally be all they have. Their lives may just depend on how far you go to protect them. There's not a better feeling than knowing that you have done the right things to stand up for your patient.
- There is a big difference in theory and practice. The case studies in the books are very one-dimensional. It's a very different thing to see a living, breathing person in front of you that you are responsible for taking care of. Theory guides us through the ideal or unusual situations; experience and critical thinking help us through every day that we work. We should try hard to get new experiences. It really does pay off.
- Sometimes we just have to kill them with kindness. There always will be the people that will ignore every piece of well-meaning advice, will argue the sky is cerulean instead of blue, and will not realize that anything could make their care better. Those people have huge potential to make you crazy, but just breathe and smile, breathe and smile.
I hope this will be of some help to you in your workplace, and maybe it'll make your days just a little easier. All I have to say is happy July!
--Stephanie