I floated outside my unit today and met some phenomenal people, one of whom gave me some incredible advice.

We all know that in health care, {or most any industry, really} you have to be flexible. 🤷🏻‍♀️ {Even if you’re an uptight perfection-seeking nursing student. You at least need to *pretend* to be. 😝}

Things change constantly. It can be a little frustrating. Sometimes it feels like you just get used to something and “they” are ready to change it. 😩 A touch of revised policy and a dab of fresh protocol, sprinkle in some extra steps and then a hint of seemingly unnecessary details, for garnish, and Voilà! Grab a spoon an enjoy this new recipe. It’s called Workflow à la Crème. Why tho?!?! 😤🤯😭

Well, I was hanging out with my patient when her nurse came in to give her some meds. She mentioned that she would be in there for a little while if I needed a break. I declined. But I told her to let me know if I was in the way or if I could do anything to help her.

Now if you’re not in health care, you might think a med pass sounds pretty simple. But it’s actually really tedious and stressful. There are so many steps! And so much at stake. 🤯

I admitted to her that I was still intimidated by all that it entails, especially since it seems like more steps are being added all the time. 😰 She laughed and told me something that totally shifted my perspective about policies and procedures, and the constant changes in health care.

She said, “When it seems like ‘they’ take a perfectly good policy or procedure and rewrite it or over complicate it and it doesn’t even make since anymore, don’t look for a loophole or workaround. Instead, take a breath and say to yourself, ‘They must know something I don’t.’”😯

That really made me think. The previous way may have increased a risk somewhere that wasn’t blatantly obvious to most of us. Or worse, maybe it resulted in actual harm to a patient. 🥺 Perhaps the old way used supplies that have been discontinued or that aren’t available or sustainable. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Or maybe the old way was just OLD and hadn’t kept up with advancements in technology and medicine. 🤐

Whatever the reason, the point is that no one is out here making changes just for change sake. Even if I don’t always know or fully understand why, I need to remember that an immense amount of time, energy, and resources goes into each and every detail. Also, if I’m truly concerned and not just being salty and whining about personal inconvenience, I can always ask for a rationale. 🤓

So, next time you’re blindsided by some change that seems silly or unnecessary, go ahead and roll your eyes and audibly sigh if you feel the need. 😆 But afterward, just tell yourself, ‘They must know something I don’t.’ 😉