18 August 2011

Age is just a number

I have a confession to make: I have a slight complex regarding my age. As I enter the last year of my 20s, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my achievements and accomplishments. I must say, I’m proud of myself! I’ve done a lot in the last 28 years. But I have also been discriminated against and discredited because of my age. Unfortunately, the negative comments about my age had a greater effect on me than the positive remarks I have heard.

During the 5 1/2 years I worked in labor and delivery, there was one question I dreaded more than any other—“How old are you?” I recognize that I look much younger than I am—maybe someday I’ll learn to appreciate it—so it’s not a surprise that my patients have a habit of inquiring about my age. Still, something about asking my age makes me believe I am not as trusted a nursing professional as some of my older colleagues.

Some may say I’m overreacting, but I have seen the look in the eyes of women under my care when I tell them my age. I have also heard the change of tone in their voices. Many a night I swallowed my pride, picked my feelings up off the ground and continued to work through my shift, knowing that, solely because of my age, my patient or members of her family were suspicious of my abilities as a labor and delivery nurse.

I’ve also seen the positive side of telling people my age, but honestly, overly congratulatory folks don’t make me feel any better than their negative counterparts. When they hear that I’m 20-something, their eyes light up and they make comments like, “Oh, my goodness, I am so proud of you!” This type of reaction makes me wonder what exactly are people so proud of.

Now, if I mentioned the awards and honors, scholarships and grants, and leadership experience listed on my curriculum vitae, I would expect the shocked reaction. But, is a reaction like this warranted, simply because I became a registered nurse at age 24? Is that really a great accomplishment? When nursing diploma programs were the most highly coveted way to become an RN, 20- and 21-year-olds were graduating with a nursing license. So again, I don’t really understand the excitement about a 20-something-year-old woman who has decided to become a registered nurse.

What I have begun to tell myself, whether the comments regarding my age are positive or negative, is that age is just a number. There are numerous people who did great things at a young age:
  • Martin Luther King Jr. received his doctorate degree from Boston University at age 26. He went on to become the father of the civil rights movement.
  • Mark Zuckerburg co-founded the Facebook social networking site at age 20. Time magazine named him Person of the Year in 2010.
  • At age 25, Lady Gaga was the highest paid celebrity under 30, according to Forbes magazine. She already has three Billboard Music Awards and five Grammy Awards, and she has set many Guinness world records, including the fastest-selling single on iTunes.
  • Bill Gates was only 24 years old when he co-founded Microsoft. His company has become one of the world’s most recognizable and its software the most utilized. As a matter of fact, I am using a Microsoft program to compose this article.
As you can see, a person’s age does not have to be a limiting factor. As nurse leaders, we have to move away from the mindset that nurses need to be in the profession 10-plus years before they can make any notable contributions. There are plenty of young nurses who have the experience and drive to move the profession forward. Those of us in Generation X may not accomplish tasks in the same manner as baby boomers, but trust and believe we can get the job done.

Young nurse leaders, don’t allow your colleagues to look down on you because of your age. Seasoned nurse leaders, don’t discredit the wonderful ideas of your younger colleagues, based on their age. And above all else, take hold of your dreams, no matter your age.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

12 August 2011

What was I thinking?

I went to UCLA for a tour one day and, while I loved the campus and all the facilities I had the chance to see, I felt slightly out of place. I was surrounded by young people in their late teens and early 20s, walking around in what were once known as “daisy dukes.” Am I really ready to be back in this type of environment? I don’t look like the girls in the short shorts. Heck, I didn’t look that good when I was 20 pounds lighter. I am following my dream of earning a PhD and have been accepted to the school of my choice, but the closer I get to the first day of school, the more I am beginning to wonder, “What was I thinking?”

Before even submitting my application to the PhD program, I thought about how nice it would be to live on campus and get the entire “college experience” again. I thought back to my freshman year of college, and I remember it being a blast! Living on campus provides accessibility to campus activities and events that you just don’t get when you live off campus. I envisioned meeting other graduate students and forming lifelong relationships with them. I considered the ease of staying in the library until the wee hours of the morning, then simply walking across campus, unlocking my door and crashing for the rest of the night. I took it all into consideration—and I love the idea of being a fulltime PhD student—but when I went on that campus tour, I started to become slightly anxious.

  • How will I fit in on campus?
  • How will I relate to the undergraduate students I meet?
  • Will people think it’s strange that I desire to join campus clubs?
  • What will folks think about an almost-30-year-old living on campus?
Then my thoughts went from the external questions of my appearance and the other students’ perceptions of me to internal questions of my ability to succeed in a PhD program.

  • Have I really been in nursing long enough to pursue a PhD in the field?
  • Will I be the youngest person in the program? And if I am, will my classmates respect my thoughts and opinions?
  • Am I smart enough to be successful in a PhD program?
These and plenty of other questions swarmed my mind until I told myself, “Enough is enough!” I will fit in just right on campus. My presence will bring life and professional experiences that differ from everyone else’s. My being there will help diversify the campus and complement all that every other student has to offer. I will relate to the undergraduate students just as I should—as a mentor and colleague.

Then I told myself that anyone with good sense would be honored to have me as a part of his or her club. I am a hard worker, and I have been a committee member of various organizations at the local, state and national levels. What will folks think about me living on campus? Honestly, who cares? If UCLA thought it was a bad idea for graduate students to live on campus, there would be no graduate student apartments (of which there are plenty). I will be surrounded by other graduate students, and I plan to have a ball getting to know them.

My questions about my intellectual abilities and professional experience were not even worth asking. I did submit an application, and I was offered admission, right? Why would I ever doubt my ability to succeed? Instead of asking, “What was I thinking?” in relation to going back to school, I should have been asking, “What was I thinking?” with regard to all of those negative questions.

As nursing leaders, we have to be courageous in taking hold of our dreams. We can’t allow fear of failure, criticism or the unknown to keep us from running full speed toward our goals, especially as it relates to those of us who are still fairly young in the profession. We must not fall into the trap of counting ourselves out, solely based on our age. Ambition, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn can oftentimes make up for what we lack in experience. And truthfully, experience has more to do with what you’ve experienced, than the amount of time it took you to get the experience.

So, no more questioning myself. No more doubting myself. No more wondering what others will think. I have the dream of a PhD in my sights and I’m going for it! I hope you are taking hold of your dreams as well.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

04 August 2011

A new kind of nursing

When I was in nursing school, a mere six years ago, I couldn’t imagine nursing other than in a face-to-face environment. At the time, I knew there were telephone triage nurses, but I really had no concept of that type of nursing. But hey, nursing is nursing, right?

We all go through the nursing process each time we interact with a patient (even if we swore we would never again acknowledge the term “nursing process” after we passed the NCLEX—I know, I said it too). The nursing process is embedded in each and every registered nurse. I’m sure we could rattle off the steps of the nursing process in our sleep: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. So again, nursing is nursing, right? Right! But in my most recent job role, I have been introduced to a new kind of nursing—virtual nursing.

I spend each day at work interacting with patients I have never met, most of whom I probably never will, and I love it! Please don’t misunderstand; the reason I love interacting with patients in the way I do is not because I am not face-to-face with them but, as a proud Generation Xer/ Millennial, I use technology A LOT. I think being paid to e-mail and call patients is the greatest thing since the invention of the IV pump. After all, when I’m not at work, I spend upwards of 50 percent of my leisure time talking on the phone or e-mailing/texting my friends.

People are often surprised to hear that I am a nurse who spends all my time in an office sitting in front of a computer. Sometimes, it is even shocking to me. Back when I was in nursing school, I thought there were only three ways to ever have my own office: 1) become a nursing professor, 2) become a hospital administrator or, 3, leave nursing and work in corporate America.

Boy, was I wrong! I work in neither academia or nursing administration, but I spend all day calling, e-mailing and faxing patients. Each morning I walk into my office, look outside my huge window to see whether or not I can see the Hollywood sign that day (this, of course, dictated by the amount of smog in the air—got to love Los Angeles!), log on to my computer and begin typing my little heart out.

I go through the nursing process with each and every patient encounter; there’s nothing different about that. I triage patient e-mails and telephone calls, deciding who has the most urgent need and who should be contacted right away. I order medications, labs and radiology tests, using standing orders and a list of physician preferences. And I do it all online!

Although I sometimes miss the adrenaline rush of running to a crash Caesarean section or the excitement of a vaginal birth, there are aspects of virtual nursing I love dearly. I love chair dancing as I listen to a popular ringback tone, while waiting for the patient to answer her cell phone. I love reading e-mail responses from patients who thank me for ordering or refilling a prescription. I love receiving a call from the nurses’ station, because a patient has come in for her appointment and she wants to finally meet me. I enjoy establishing relationships with women I have never seen face-to-face!

When I get tired of staring at the computer screen and I need face-to-face interaction, I simply walk out of my office and down the hall. I have the best of both worlds. Now, if only someone would create a way for me to communicate with my patients via Facebook and text messaging, I’d be in nursing heaven!

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.