Being a new employee is a time of vulnerability. Going from a nursing position where you are an expert to one where you are a novice is one of those make or break moments. Either you can have supportive co-workers and grow, or you can find yourself feeling isolated and fail. When I started working in postpartum, I was nervous because there was so much I didn't know (including the most essential postpartum assessment findings and what to do about them after). It is intimidating, yet necessary, to ask questions that seem basic. When you are on orientation, you are in a safety zone. Your preceptor expects those basic questions and they aren't going to judge you for asking them. However, after orientation is over, you are opened to a new vulnerability. You have to trust that you can ask for help and ask those basic questions to someone else, I found this someone else in Kathy Tian, RN.
Kathy is a clinical nurse III and charge nurse on 2&3 Women's. She is the kind of nurse that every nurse aspires to be. Kathy is always smiling and helps to set a positive tone for the unit. She is proactive and helps out without being asked. If a patient calls out and needs something and the nurse or tech isn't available, Kathy jumps in to ensure that the patient's needs are met (pain meds, bathroom assistance, etc.). Perhaps what stands out most to me is that Kathy has the most welcoming demeanor to every co-worker on our unit (from perinatal techs to nurses). To Kathy, it doesn't matter how much experience you have or don't have. She glows with this desire to help each of us reach our potential. Kathy helped acculturate me to our unit and helps me to understand the way that things work on our unit. She has introduced me to other co-workers (from neighboring departments like Labor and Delivery and NICU) and has a way of talking up co-workers to make you feel comfortable to work with or receive report from someone new to you. Kathy is the nurse that you want to have by your side (whether as a "podmate" or as the charge nurse) when you have a difficult clinical or psychosocial situation. She listens and helps co-workers through challenges that they face and allows them to reflect so that they can learn how to do things better the next time (ultimately, improving patient care).
I remember shortly after orientation, I was feeling isolated and questioning whether I had made the right decision as I faced difficulty with time management in this new specialty and was still developing relationships and building rapport with co-workers. There were a couple of difficult interactions I had faced with co-workers that made me feel disrespected and I wondered if I had made the right decision to change specialties. However, the shifts after those interactions were ones that I worked with Kathy. Kathy's welcoming manner, ability to listen attentively, and offer advice helped me to consider staying and made me feel like I did have a place on our unit. Since I started 2 Women's, Kathy has always expressed this confidence in my nursing skills and abilities and never makes me feel like a bother for asking a question or requesting help. Kathy mentors her colleagues without even knowing it and she inspires me to be a better nurse and to have a positive attitude every day. Thank you, Kathy, for all you do to make the Women's Center at Rex a wonderful place to be a nurse! I feel so blessed and honored to have you as a colleague and mentor.