Personal Narrative: A Career As The Peritoneal Dialysis Unit
In October of 2015 I was appointed as the Peritoneal Dialysis Unit Coordinator. The peritoneal dialysis program was being developed at this time which created significant changes in the hemodialysis unit and for me. Change has always been stressful for me yet my Nurse Manager, with her endless support in managing this change made it a positive experience. I was ready to take on this change by taking on new roles and responsibilities, and adapting to implement the change fully and completely. Communication was a critical component to the success of this change. My Nurse Manager created open lines of communication among the two of us and with the multidisciplinary team involved in the development of the program. The multidisciplinary team included:
the Nephrologist, surgeon, lab, logistics, infection control physician, pharmacy, education department, deputy nurse executive and Chief Nursing Officer. She was totally transparent with all who were involved in the process. She would set me at ease, welcome my ideas and the ideas of others which helped to gain cooperation and collegiality by all disciplines. I was able to build new partnerships with other clinicians. My Nurse Manager has always promoted a shared governance model in our unit, and she continued to do so by involving me in all aspects of the planning and implementation phases of the program. She gave me the right amount of autonomy to feel empowered and engaged in my work. She would provide enough time and resources to support the change. She would often praise me for my work, perseverance and positive attitude, and tell me she could have never done it without my commitment to the Veterans’ and the program. My Nurse Manager would guide me in evaluating the changes that were occurring along the way. We would meet often and evaluate what was working, what was not, and the impact it would have on the Veterans’ and the organization. We would often come upon obstacles in developing the program that were often challenging and she would make sure I never felt overwhelmed. She would ease the burden by working closely with me to overcome the obstacles and continue on the right path.
the Nephrologist, surgeon, lab, logistics, infection control physician, pharmacy, education department, deputy nurse executive and Chief Nursing Officer. She was totally transparent with all who were involved in the process. She would set me at ease, welcome my ideas and the ideas of others which helped to gain cooperation and collegiality by all disciplines. I was able to build new partnerships with other clinicians. My Nurse Manager has always promoted a shared governance model in our unit, and she continued to do so by involving me in all aspects of the planning and implementation phases of the program. She gave me the right amount of autonomy to feel empowered and engaged in my work. She would provide enough time and resources to support the change. She would often praise me for my work, perseverance and positive attitude, and tell me she could have never done it without my commitment to the Veterans’ and the program. My Nurse Manager would guide me in evaluating the changes that were occurring along the way. We would meet often and evaluate what was working, what was not, and the impact it would have on the Veterans’ and the organization. We would often come upon obstacles in developing the program that were often challenging and she would make sure I never felt overwhelmed. She would ease the burden by working closely with me to overcome the obstacles and continue on the right path.