Laying My Cards on the Table
Inspired by Lessons of the Cards
Throughout my career, I’ve been privileged to connect most closely with the role of educator and influencer of patients, staff, students, and leaders. As an invited guest lecturer at a large university hospital system in Hangzhou, China, I was privileged to be part of a team of professionals that provided healthcare presentations to hundreds of nurse leaders and educators in two very large (more than two thousand beds) hospitals.
On the return flight, high above the blue Pacific, I experienced a couple of “Aha!” moments. First, nurses everywhere struggle with many of the same challenges. We want to “improve” (an oft-repeated word from my Chinese colleagues), and we want to make life better for our communities. Working with limited time, resources, and staffing are universal challenges.
Reflecting on the presentations made by our team raised some important questions. Did we have sufficient impact and was our information culturally relevant? Did what we shared, matter? Was it of value, and would it make a difference?
Goosebumps covered my arms as a simple thought struck me: “What would happen if just one nurse took one idea and put it into practice? More importantly, what if she shared that idea with one other nurse, a nurse I’d never meet. Then what if, just what if, that nurse took the one idea and shared it deep into western China, and if another nurse took that one idea into India or beyond?
The power of influence has vast consequences. It requires great responsibility. In a world continually in search of peace, perhaps nurses and health professionals hold the keys to a better future. In every hamlet and every city of this planet, mothers wish for better, safer, and healthier lives for their children. We, in the healing arts, have the ability to bring their dreams to fruition. Kings, presidents, and governments do not possess the same advantages that we do!
Over the years, great trust has been placed in my leadership skills. As a new graduate, I was hired to a charge nurse position. A few years later, I was invited to become the first paramedic training coordinator in our region, a job offered without my ever having instructed a single class. As a staff developer, I was allowed the freedom to create a leadership curriculum for an organization with more than fifteen thousand employees. The beauty of nursing is its malleability. With or without returning for an advanced degree, nursing allows us to easily switch up our career directions and work in a variety of healthcare fields.
Nursing gives us the ability to create our own future. Not only can we regularly restructure what we do, we can also blend and harmonize a career with parenthood or eldercare. Most importantly, we have been afforded the intimacy of providing care and connection to fellow humans who are enduring a season of suffering. When we practice mindful listening, we hear the stories of their lives, laments, and deepest concerns. We witness their suffering, healing, and/or endings—and that’s a precious gift.
And sometimes in the process, we go in directions we never imagined—directions that help us discover things about ourselves. It seems odd to me that teaching is where I excel. My immigrant grandparents sent their daughters to become teachers. Eventually my strongest role model, Aunt Emma, became a nurse leader. And now, I find myself gaining the greatest joy through inspiring women, coaching nurse leaders, and consulting with others in the profession of health and healing.
What’s in Your Hand?
Whether you’re a nurse, physician, therapist, chaplain, or technician reconnecting to the heart of your calling is absolutely essential.
As we shuffle through a deck of cards, pay attention to card language, and learn a few card rules; ten secrets to ensuring success as a great nurse or healer emerge. Lesson 9, “Every Day Life Deals a New Hand” was shared in an address to matriculating pediatric nurse new grads. Several weeks later that message was shared with an emergency department team. We added Lesson 1, “Rules Change: The Cards Don’t;” Lesson 2, “You Can’t Cure Everyone; You Can Heal Many;” and Lesson 6, “A Poker Face Has Its Place.” Audiences quickly and easily identified with the card analogies. Weeks later, staff, even those without a medical background, have reminded me of their favorite “lesson of the cards.” The lessons are that memorable.
As you enjoy reading what follows, you’ll discover the secrets to success and caring hidden within each lesson. You’ll find your passion for providing care that goes to the root of human experience re-ignited or perhaps ignited for the first time. You’ll discover tips for your success. You’ll be provided with relevant and practical tools that can be applied to your career today. And, you’ll read stories of real patients and real caregivers. Some names and places have been changed, of course. We all understand HIPPA, the privacy rule.
After you read and claim your favorite lessons, I encourage you to share that lesson with others. Add your own stories to personalize it. We become better when we share, remain open, and take life a little less seriously.
Life is a whole lot more like a game of cards than you might think. It’s time to consider “how will you play the hand you’ve been dealt?”
If you enjoyed reading this please leave a comment below! Check out my new book Lessons of the Cards, available on www.HazelCurtis.com and Amazon