Embracing Our Differences

I was thrilled when I was able to hire five new, experienced and very professional nurses to work the night shift in our Critical Care Unit, but I was also concerned. You see, they were from other countries. Our American culture was new to them. How could I make them feel accepted? How could I make sure my staff accepted them? How could I help them thrive professionally and personally? I thought long and hard and finally identified an ICU staff member to mentor them. She taught them about our American culture and how it related to patient care, how to communicate effectively, how to dress properly, and how to relate to their new peers. She went out of her way to match each nurse with another nurse as their preceptor. She developed an orientation program for them, making sure that no issue went unresolved. She even went out of her way personally by driving the nurses to work and assisting them with their daily needs. She took it upon herself to be their "big sister". This type of dedication from my staff made me realize that not only is it important to take care of our patients, we also have to take care of each other.