Its Not a Matter of If, It’s a Matter of When…
When I began my clinical career, I was so full of life and energy, and passion for what I was doing.
I was so inspired by my peers and so eager to learn, grow and develop.
I spent my days off learning and my nightshifts practicing my clinical skills on dummies and with my colleagues. (Minus catheterization because – eww).
I was deeply motivated to succeed and to learn all things. I was annoyingly positive and deeply committed to being the best possible nurse.
This led to many positive things for me:
- Being one of the youngest/earliest staff to be put on a post-graduate course after starting my graduate job. (I think 8 months)
- Being cherry-picked by the ICU ADON for a role in their unit.
However just as it served me, it also taught me some extremely valuable life lessons….
That no matter how passionate and motivated you are, you will still make a mistake and in the current situation you will need to navigate that on your own.
That no matter how focused you are, there are hurdles that arise that you must process and overcome to proceed.
That putting my worth and capacity in the hands of others (patients/families/employer/manager) was a long-term recipe for disaster.
That by negating my own personal needs and prioritising others, I would learn that people pleasing wasn’t the answer.
That by giving my job 110% doesn’t directly correlate that my employer will see/value or acknowledge my contributions.
That in giving my job everything, I allowed it to determine my worth and became my identity.
I tell you all of this because it truly is not a matter of if you experience the above, it’s a matter of when. You might be at the start of your career and about to enter the honeymoon phase. Or, maybe you are at the point where burnout is creeping in and you are feeling lost, stagnant, perplexed, unworthy, helpless, and unsure of your future. Either way, there’s one thing I know for sure, I can guarantee you will experience this.
The hard truth is that burnout and career misaligning will happen to everyone.
The industry is designed to accommodate this by default.
So, if it’s going to happen – what can you do about it….
Well – how long do you have.
I believe the first step is acknowledging and being open to experiencing it truly, with support and strategies around you, to navigate it.
You see, I knew I was going to burn out as a NUM. Every day I went to work I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I didn’t know if I would be attacked by a staff member or a patient – it wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when.
Our whole career can be experienced through the “if not when” lens.
The MET Call will happen at 7am.
The patient will attack you.
Your team will gossip about you.
Your manager will get frustrated with you.
The saddest thing is it doesn’t have to be this way.
We have built this system to be like this. And, it is my mission and purpose to ensure that we shift from “when” to experiencing more of the “ if”.
My goal was not to be a defeatist in this post. Moreso, to open your eyes to the reality of the industry and to raise your awareness. This is so you can start begin to create a life and career that allows you the privilege of increasing your exposure to the “if” scenario as much as possible.
You got this and you are doing amazing work my friend.
If you feel like you want to improve on something, I am more than glad to have a chat with you.
