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| Home > Newsletter > 2007 AWHONN Convention Summary |
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"Batteries Not Included" by Bobbi Staten, RN, MSN
2007 AWHONN Convention
Orlando, Florida
Summary provided by Colleen Whatley, NHAWHONN Coordinating Team
Summer is finally here and many evenings we often move to the outdoors to create our culinary masterpieces on the grill! While grilling can be simple, it does require some essential items...a source of fuel (briquettes or propane), a source of ignition (spark, or flame) and the right environment (oxygen). If the tank is empty or there is no spark, you will not be grilling without a trip to the nearby gas station or convenience store. And of course, if there is no oxygen, well...we wouldn't be here to grill now, would we?
Making sure the tank has propane and there are matches requires a little discipline. When we use the last match, we buy more. It's the tank of propane that may take a bit more work. Can you see when the level is low? Is there a gauge that we can determine the level of propane? Is there an alarm that signals that the level is low? Unfortunately, JCAHO does not regulate propane tanks, for there are not any visible or audible "alarms." So, we may be unpleasantly surprised the next time we grill and find the tank empty unless we make a habit of filling the tank every couple of months.
In the closing remarks at the AWHONN convention, Bobbi Staten reminded us that as nurses we are prone for burnout. It is a condition that creeps up on us without notice. There are no gauges or alarms that notify us when we are getting close. We forget that we need to keep our tanks full and keep our sparks vibrant. And having an optimal environment always helps, too.
Webster's Dictionary defines burnout in two ways: the point at which missile fuel is burned up and the missile enters free flight; emotional exhaustion from mental stress. Free flight sounds great, but having no control over your direction can lead to mishaps and being spent emotionally leaves us with no reserve to handle our responsibilities. Being in a state of burnout is not healthy for ourselves or for those around us. Our attitudes and behaviors impact our environment positively as well as negatively. Throughout the convention, speakers addressed patient safety and ways to optimize work conditions. It was a bit surprising to learn that negative work environments are linked with higher incidences of preventable injuries and death. While burnout is a personal situation, it can influence those around us--including our patients--and we need to help ourselves and each other to recover from and avoid burnout. And Bobbi shared four remedies for treatment and prevention.
Bobbi's four remedies consist of taking care of ourselves (keeping our tanks full), staying "sparky" (internally or externally motivated), optimizing our environment (reduce stressors), and keeping a sense of humor.
Taking Care of Ourselves
We need to discover what fuels us, what keeps our cups full. Is it a hike once a week, time with family, quilting, scrapbooking, or planning a wedding? It could be meditation or getting together with your BFF (best friend forever). Whatever it is, do it! Bobbi also reminded us of two other ways to take care of ourselves and I added on one more: provide our tanks with an appropriate diet, stay active and get the right amount of sleep! She also recognized how hard it can be to follow these simple recommendations and encouraged us to not dwell on how many times we "fall off the wagon," but to focus on how long we "stay in the ditch." Do what you can, when you can!
Another way our tanks become empty is unnecessary spills. Bobbi shared the need to avoid what she calls "hissy fits." Getting upset when things don't go our way can use up a lot of our fuel. Rather than carrying on, we should recognize the problem and figure out what we can do. As we all know, there are issues that we have control over and those we do not. Spend the energy on what you can control and let go of those you cannot.
Staying "Sparky"
A fire also requires a source of ignition. Those experiencing or leading to burnout may be getting low on an ignition source. Many times our internal motivation gets us out of bed and through our day or night. However, when we're in a bad mood or just tired and not wanting to be at work, we may need a little help from our friends and co-workers.
Bobbi shared that we often need a little "shining on" or encouragement to motivate us. Bobbi carries a penlight and often will "shine" it on individuals who need it rather than complaining about their bad mood. "Shining on" others may simply involve:
- Listening to what is bothering the person
- Offering a helping hand
- Reminding and thanking them of a time when they helped you in a tough situation
- Finding a way to laugh and send those negative feelings away
- Surprising them with their favorite drink or treat
Optimizing our Environment
As health care providers we give a lot each day to our patients and then we go home to our families and communities and give more. Bobbi shared the importance of identifying our priorities and placing them within our "circles." Everything else is outside of our circles and should stay outside of our circles unless priorities change. When requests come from within the circle, you probably will respond and take care of it. However, when the request comes from outside your circle, you have the option to decline. Learning to say "no" is one important way to reduce our stressors and optimize our environment.
Another way to optimize our environment is to reduce the negative attitudes because they are contagious. Bobbi shared a little insight into the lives of crabs. When crabbing, it is important to know that one crab in a bucket can easily escape, so you have to keep an eye on the crab while looking for your next crab. However, when you add another crab, it becomes impossible for the crabs to escape! As one crab tries to reach the rim of the bucket, the other crab will reach for him and pull him back down. So once you have two crabs, you are likely to have no escapees. But when you think of the workplace or our homes, if we have two or more individuals with negative attitudes, it becomes contagious and it is hard to turn the feelings around. This is when we need to "shine on" the other and avoid an epidemic. Sometimes we can pull ourselves out of that dark place; however, there may be times when we need to have someone "shine on" us and pull us out.
Keeping a Sense of Humor
Bobbi's final piece of advice involves laughter. Having a sense of humor helps us stay sparky, but it also impacts our environment and our own health. A sense of humor helps to reduce stress and gives us the ability to navigate through a difficult time. In an article by Penson et al. (2005), laughter and an appropriate sense of humor provide individuals with hope, the ability to face challenging situations, and even brighten one's day. As a motivational speaker, Bobbi spoons out large doses of humor to lighten up the audience and shared a situation she experienced early in her speaking career.
IBM invited her to speak to their employees. She was so honored and excited to be moving to the big league of the corporate world. On the day she was to speak, she began to dress. Now Bobbi is a bit short and a bit round about the waist, so she tells how she has to wrestle with the panty hose. First she chooses not to wear panties because she wanted to avoid the panty lines. In the process of pouring herself into the panty hose, she creates a couple of holes and runs; however, they are above her hemline and the runs are going up. So she finishes dressing and heads over to IBM. She enters the hall and she is met by a full auditorium of suits. Panic begins to set in, yet she straightens up and marches down one of the aisles and steps up to the stage. The audience is silent and she begins to lose her confidence. She turns to the chalkboard and begins to erase what is there. As she is doing this, she hears a gasp and the sound of a pair of running feet. It is the CEO and as he gets on the stage, he whispers, "Miss Bobbi, you need to turn around...your skirt is tucked up at your waist!" She freezes and thinks about her choice not to wear panties, the fact that her nylons had runs and that all the rolls of fat protruding from the runs from her thighs up to her backside. She slowly turned around pulled down her skirt and walked to the podium. She opened her mouth and said, "I bet that each of you thought that IBM stood for 'International Business Machines'; however, today you have learned that it really stands for 'I've Been Mooned'!" The audience and she broke out into laughter. Bobbi recovered with humor and began her presentation. She could have wasted her energy in a "hissy fit" and run off the stage, but she chose to use a little humor and carry on.
Closing Words
Take care of yourself, stay "sparky," "shine on" others who need a "pick-me-up," influence your environment in a positive way and keep your sense of humor. It will benefit you, others around you and the patients you care for.
P.S. Yes, her title was "Batteries Not Included" and she did speak to the fact that we do not come with batteries and when we get them, they do need to be recharged. However, I was drawn into her message about "fire" and it helped me summarize her messages and stories. And yes, I took a little liberty in expanding on her messages about burnout and laughter. I hope you don't mind!
References
Penson, R.T., Partridge, R.A., Rudd, P., Seiden, M.V., Nelson, J.E., Chabner, B.A., and Lynch Jr., T.J. (2005). Laughter: The best medicine? The Oncologist, 10, 651-660. Retrieved on July 25, 2007 @ www.TheOncologist at Dartmouth College.
Staten, B. (June 27, 2007). Batteries not included. 2007 AWHONN Annual Convention. Orlando, Florida |
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