“Every moment of one’s existence, one is growing into more or retreating into less.” Norman Mailer
Over the past few years, I have had an opportunity to create beautiful friendships with people whom I have met at my workplace. Over time we have each slowly grown into our own space some of us more slowly than others but lest the same, growth has been evident. With this, it has meant that we move to different departments or regions and as much as it has been difficult it is proving to be worthwhile. John Maxwell a great American author once said, “Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it is almost always due to personal growth.” For anyone left behind as this happens one experiences a barrage of emotions. One is happy to see them grow but then despondency creeps in. One can not fathom not seeing them for a long time. On some days despite offering our unmerited support we are left asking ourselves when is our time coming too. I am here to let you know that it is okay to feel unsure, the only difference is how you respond to it.
A few weeks ago I was helping my friend pack her household belongings ready for the big move and she came across her vision board. I was quite taken aback by the intricacies within it. I remember seeing her lips moving but honestly not listening to what she was saying. My eyes were so glued on it. As far as I could tell she had achieved some major things on it and had modified some of the goals that were yet to come to pass. This current big move she was making was directly linked to all this and through revising her previously set goals she was on the right path to achieving them. I felt proud and decided maybe its time I put down mine too. Get all my ideas from my head to paper. Well, I did so and then this morphed into a learning process where I came across the term career mapping.
Career mapping is the process of generating methods for individual progression within a particular area of one's choice of a career within a specified time frame. It differs greatly with professional development in that the latter only focuses on obtaining new skills and knowledge meant to remain relevant. As highlighted in some of my previous posts job satisfaction is key. It directly affects so many aspects of our lives that we can not afford to be lax about it. We invest too much of ourselves into it and when we can do something about it I believe we owe it to ourselves to do something.
Analysis of research papers on this topic among the different databases revealed that for nurses, in particular, our career map is mainly informed by three key things;
- The level of formal education
- The length and nature of our work experience
- Competency assessment
- Reduced rates of staff turnover
- Better service delivery through the use of current knowledge and skills.
- Development of genuine loyalty to an organization. No trade secrets spilled
- Better work relationships by reducing work-related conflicts
- Determine a starting point
- Determine a final goal
- Identify how to connect the two points
- Create a series of smaller goals within two points
- Put it at an easily accessible place where you can see it on a regular.
“Communicate unto the other person that which you would want him to communicate unto you if your positions were reversed.”Aaron Goldman
Most recently I was handling a patient whom now in retrospect I should have handled with greater precaution. In this context, precautionary measures should have included full protective gear for at that particular time a lot was unknown. I had admitted an elderly male with underlying preexisting conditions who had acutely gone into pulmonary edema, therefore, had dyspnea, severe hypotension, and a deteriorating neurological function. A cardiopulmonary arrest was a sure outcome if no rapid intervention was done. He had already been initiated on oxygen supplementation via a non-rebreather mask at 15L/min, he had an ongoing Norepinephrine infusion running peripherally from the transferring unit and he had received stat doses of Lasix and Albumin. However, more needed to be done as he could no longer sustain enough respiratory effort. Urgent invasive intubation was done. Yes, we had the basic gown, surgical mask, and gloves but with the risk of exposure to aerosols, we had forgotten to wear a shield and the N95. Why? tensions ran high and the team leader shouting orders didn't aid much. A lot of mistakes were made in terms of our personal safety. Luckily, the patient was now adequately ventilating, and oxygenating. By this time his blood pressures were sustained. Later on, we had a debrief and the errors were discussed and it was noted that we need to improve on effective communication as this will encourage situational awareness which encourages the maintenance of personal safety at all times. We could have done better but I choose not to dwell on the what-ifs but rather what was the root cause of the problem.
Heading home that day I managed to take a walk which allowed me to think through the day's activities. I realized all sense had gone out of the window because I could not imagine losing my patient. Adrenaline is a valuable thing as it makes the impossible workable but with it ushers a lot of illogical thinking. I felt obliged to help and this for a minute made me forget about myself. I am sure some of you may get this and some of you may not which is great as it generates a diverse audience for these conversations.
This virus has decided to stay longer than we previously thought. We are possibly never reverting back to normal, and honestly, I am not sure if it is a bad thing. This season has been onerous on most people. It is offering a great opportunity for self-reflection. The moment you start questioning everything you know two things will happen. You may adapt and grow or you can breakdown and never recover. Despite the challenges, I would wish to enjoy my everyday life. “You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”
I love how this pandemic has led to the realization that every job matters and just because I directly do not feel your impact it does not mean the role played is insignificant. For example, who knew the key to infection control and prevention would be the security officer, the watchman? The person whom on most days you used to swiftly dismiss as you hurriedly rushed home or to your work station. The person whom you thought was below you and you could not even spare greeting them. The person whom you never thought to invest in terms of knowledge of hygienic practices. Bitter pill to swallow, right? Better yet that wonderful housekeeping staff who ensures the surfaces and corridors are clean. The people where in most cases have never been provided with protective gear except for their uniforms. The majority of them have nothing to shield them from the disease. Have you ever taken the time to read the ingredients contained in their cleaning solutions? Some of them are very toxic and have lifelong effects and yet few take that into consideration. Have you noticed that especially in some government institutions they also provide tea to the other team members yet again no investment in knowledge of infection control and prevention practices is placed? I hope we can now see how we have been setting ourselves up for failure. "Conceit is God’s gift to little men."Bruce Barton
We are learning the hard way that not every information generated should be applied. There is a great need for us to develop independent thinking while continuously being inquisitive. This leads to exploring our own ways of developing solutions to problems. For instance, despite this illness being new within our African context did we openly question the use of HCQ and Arithromycin before pumping them down our patients' throats. "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford
We are being forced to acknowledge just how broken our systems are. We have been forced to realize how our greed in different institutions will lead to our death first before we enjoy our lives and " those profits" we are trying to generate. In the past, we have seen the wealthy move across the world in search of quality health services while leaving the poor to fend for themselves. It is ironic how just this pandemic is, no country is spared, deaths keep occurring all around us and the funniest bit even if you set up intensive care units in your own home it doesn't guarantee you get out of it alive.