Sunday post-it 3/26/23-

The post-it reads “Saying a surgeon is “just that way” devalues me as a person and as a nurse. This is not the way.”

We’ve all been there.

A surgeon acts out and shows their ass and the charge nurse just tuts that it is the surgeon’s way, and they don’t mean anything by it.

This can go a few ways. A gold star for every one you tick off. Or has been told to you by another staff member.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is that they care so much for the patient that they get frustrated.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is that they are so much smarter than the room and this can make them frustrated when the staff can’t keep up.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is the duh, they have a plane to catch/office hours/dinner with the family, of course, they get frustrated and act out.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is that they have stress from outside that is making them frustrated and they act out.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it, didn’t you hear their child just graduated from high school and is driving them crazy, they get frustrated and act out. This can also apply to new babies, to toddlers, to school-aged children, to college-aged children, to adult children, and to their grandchildren.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is their favorite Starbucks was closed and they had to drive an extra 5 minutes to the next nearest one, this made them late and frustrated and they act out.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is the poor dear, he was up ALL night and had lots of calls from the floors and the emergency rooms and he is tired and frustrated and they act out.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it is their favorite scissors are in the autoclave and they have to make do with a substandard pair and they get frustrated and act out.

Implied in the they don’t mean anything by it the sky is blue today and they want to be out golfing/reading/exercising and they get frustrated and act out.

Or it is night, or cloudy, or their favorite mug at HOME was in the dishwasher, or their PA is off for the day, or…

You get the drift.

Frustrations happen. It does not give them an open ticket to act their shoe size. You certainly don’t see staff acting like this with every frustration, in full view of the room.

Jeesh.

And, yeah, a little Mandalorian at the end of the post-it. This is not the way.