Climbing the Mountain
Article Outline
- Balance
- Physical Wellness
- Established Goals
- Attitude
- Potential
- Wanting It
- Legacy
- Believing
- References
- Copyright
For some of us, the journey is both figurative and literal. In his book 7 Summits: A Nurse's Quest to Conquer Mountaineering and Life,1 Patrick Hickey, DrPH, RN, CNOR, tells the remarkable story of achieving his goal of climbing to the top of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents of the world. Dr Hickey lists seven attributes that guided him and helped him to focus his energies on attaining his goal:
Dr Hickey discusses these seven attributes in relation to mountaineering, to a nursing student's experience, and to nursing in general. As I read the book, I realized how appropriately these attributes apply to perioperative nursing.
Balance
Having a balanced life suggests maintaining our health by eating properly, getting enough sleep and exercise, and seeking help when we feel overwhelmed. Balance is also important when comparing the art and the science of perioperative practice. We strive to promote evidence-based practice (ie, the science), but when evidence, supporting research, or other scientific resources are scant, we rely on our experiential judgment to provide skilled workmanship (ie, the art). As a practical profession, nursing is a constant balance of these aspects of patient care.
Physical Wellness
Physical wellness is important to both nurses and patients. Nurses need to be physically well and take care of themselves to truly take care of their patients. When patients are challenged with life-threatening injuries that require surgery, perioperative nurses promote their patients' wellness with technical competence, environmental safeguards, and collaborative interventions.
Established Goals
Establishing goals is a needed first step toward achieving them. When nurses plan patient care, one of the first things they do is identify desired patient outcomes. If the outcome is to prevent a patient from being exposed to a medication error, for example, the nurse achieves the goal of safe medication administration through outcome-related interventions and activities (eg, by labeling all medication containers). Setting a goal necessitates identifying the steps required to succeed in reaching the goal, and taking those steps is critical to success.
Attitude
A positive attitude is what can transform a rainy day into a perfect opportunity to clean out the closets, watch a movie, or revise those procedure cards. I have heard managers say that when they consider whom to hire for an open position, a positive attitude trumps experience every time. Attitudes are self-fulfilling prophecies. If you think things are bad, they probably are, for you. If you think things are good (okay, maybe not that horrible), then they probably are okay. The point is that a person who believes there is little use in making an effort will expend little effort, and the outcome likely will be unpleasant. Someone who sees the possibilities for improvement, however, is more likely to exert the effort to achieve a preferred outcome. Attitudes influence actions. For example, implementing a new OR safety checklist may be impeded by pushback from physicians and staff members. By taking the actions necessary to communicate the rationale, develop a clear and concise process, and reinforce the desired behavior, the nurse increases the likelihood of successfully implementing the new checklist. A nurse who assumes it will not work makes success unlikely.
Potential
Realizing one's potential requires envisioning the desired outcome and taking the necessary steps to achieve it. Setting goals and having a positive attitude are important components, but achieving one's potential requires looking beyond the present. What can we become? How many perioperative nurses have envisioned becoming an RN first assistant or an advanced practice nurse? What steps did they take on the path to accomplishing these goals? I have worked with many nurses who communicated their goal to write for the AORN Journal or to present a talk at an AORN Congress. Every AORN Journal author or Congress presenter, at one time, saw this as a potential accomplishment. They realized their potential by first studying a subject, refining their writing or public speaking skills, and persisting in their efforts. We are all potential beings, and it is our actions that enable us to reach the peak.
Wanting It
Yearning for success is an important motivating force. You have to want it. The desire to become an expanded or advanced practice nurse, for example, must be accompanied by the effort to participate in the required additional education and training. Therefore, if a nurse does not have a strong enough desire to become an RN first assistant or an advanced practice nurse, he or she will not participate in the education and training that are necessary. One aspect of yearning for success is believing in the ability to succeed. When we believe in ourselves, we are more likely to see congruence between the possibility of success and achieving it. Creating an environment where success is supported and encouraged is another vital component. Our actions in the perioperative setting, our support of colleagues, and our activities to promote success, both ours and others', contribute to making a yearning a reality.
Legacy
There are many perioperative examples of creating a legacy. AORN's book Preserving the Legacy: AORN 1949-19892 illustrates the rich legacy of perioperative nurses. Among the important contributions to perioperative professional practice and its effect on patient care are the development of the “Standards of nursing practice, OR” during the tenure of AORN President Patricia K. Rogers, RN; the first world meeting of OR nurses in 1978; the first certification examination; and, in 1979, the first “OR Nurse Day,” which later become Perioperative Nurse Week.2 We are creating our own legacies as we develop and refine perioperative nursing competencies, guidelines, and recommended practices. A successful legacy also may be as modest as helping others to succeed. Dr Hickey, a perioperative nursing colleague who has been active at the local, state, and national levels of AORN, captures the essence of a legacy in its many forms when he states that a legacy can be as simple as “donating to a charity, working on a committee, mentoring a student, volunteering time and skills, or simply making ourselves available to help another person in need.”1(p179)
Believing
By reaching those seven summits, Dr Hickey has created his own legacy of personal accomplishment, and by focusing on the seven attributes, he has achieved professional excellence. He shows us that we should believe in ourselves and that we can help ourselves, and others, to climb the mountain.
References
PII: S0001-2092(10)00046-3
doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2009.12.018
© 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
