I haven’t written much here lately, have I? I’m spending more of my time writing on the First Case blog, but sometimes it’s nice to come back here and write what I’m thinking! And today, we’re chasing chickens… so join me!

My thoughts today are rather disjointed, somewhat like the 19 energetic chicks that are zooming around the brooder box that’s currently in my dining room with me. These little birds are incredibly cute and it’s quite addicting (and somewhat soothing) to just sit and watch their silly antics. But as I sit here and watch them, enjoying them but also feeling slightly in over my head since this is a new experience for me, my mind naturally turns to the operating room.

How in the world can you connect chickens to the OR? Honestly, I can connect ANYTHING to the OR, but hear me out…

I’ve wanted to raise chickens for a long time, but we never lived in an area that would allow me to keep them. Until now. I did all of the research and made sure I wasn’t breaking any rules, and then quickly set about ordering the breeds I wanted from a reputable hatchery. Now, I don’t know anything about chickens. I wasn’t raised with them, and I’ve only ever been around them when I’ve been at a local farm to buy eggs. But I’ve known for a long time that keeping chickens was something that I really, really wanted to do.

Once I ordered the chicks, I set out on a mission to learn everything I could about them. I read books, bought magazines, watched YouTube videos, and then read more books. I’ve joined Facebook groups and other websites that exist to support people who keep backyard chickens. I’ve worried myself to death over whether or not I had the right equipment and supplies, if the heat lamp will burn my house down (and it might, so I switched to a safer heating method), and I continued to read, and to learn, and to build my knowledge.

Connecting the dots

Surely you can see where I’m going with this by now. As a manager would say, I have been “eager, open to learning new things, and willing to work.” I didn’t have the experience that other chicken keepers might have, but that didn’t stop me from learning all that I could and doing everything needed to reach one of my goals.

How is that any different from our new OR nurses? For many of them, all they’ve ever wanted to do was work in the OR. For others, the OR is a new challenge and they’re ready to conquer it. They’re eager, open to learning new things, and willing to work. So why would we crush that spirit, either by not hiring them because they lack experience, or by treating them poorly when they’re in our department? How many nurses who want to work in the OR but don’t get hired for lack of experience, go to the floor and end up leaving nursing altogether because it wasn’t what they wanted to do?

It’s time we stopped assuming that those nurses who want to be in the OR, who are eager to learn, and willing to do the work, don’t belong because they don’t have experience. As someone who has had a role in hiring new employees, I would rather hire for attitude than skill. Skills can be taught. Attitudes rarely change.

And while the metaphor would certainly break down if we carried it out much further, there’s still a connection to be made and a lesson to be learned. Patient’s lives are at stake. Our ORs need to run smoothly, safely, and efficiently. So it’s up to us, as the experienced staff, to take these new nurses under our wings, to engage that eagerness and willingness to learn, to teach them, and to help them take flight as competent, confident OR nurses.

Until next time,

Melanie

P.S. – I was recently notified that I was the High Scorer in 2022 for the CSSM exam! If you want to read about my certification experience, click here!