How to increase social capital in nursing
The benefits of social capital are beginning to be more well researched in nursing. As we collect and collate more info why not try some of the practical tips below, to increase social capital in your workplace:
Find your flow with introductions.
It can be hard to be really comfortable introducing yourself to new people all the time. BUT when we take a min or two to connect with people and learn about them we are creating a connection that can support community growth. Make time to do these introductions. New people on your ward, anyone. Take the time to meet them, learn about them and what they care about. This will help you AND them. That's a win-win.
Grow a reputation for showing up for others and getting stuff done.
People want to work with people who are hardworking and dependable. Isn't that who you want to work with? They will know they can count on you and then the team is stronger for this bond.
Say yes- when you can.
As the social capital of the ward increases, you should consider saying yes to more. But only as it suits your world too. Say yes to community events and other requests. This will help you learn more about others and more about the hospital world too. Knowing more people will allow them to know you and be considerate of you too.
Be grateful. Express your gratitude.
Do this verbally for others and also for your life too. Gratitude will strengthen bonds within the team, create trust and expand the social capital of your world. People want to be around others who are thankful, value them and appreciate their contribution. We are all more likely to say YES to people who will take the time to thank us. Think of this outcome if you say thank you enough.
Smile. Don’t tell me that smiling is going to make it worse right? You know a person smiling is someone you are going to approach and trust over a person with a grump on.
So that is five quick ways you could work on building your social capital. Try one or try all today. Try one or try all over the next week or month. Try them at a pace which works for you. But I implore you to try them and let me know how it goes.
Autonomic Meets
● Where do you work and why?
I work as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Bond University and as an ICU RN at a local hospital. I love the power of education to transform and change lives if it’s done well. I keep working in the ICU because I value patient contact and the opportunity to continue to remain clinically “in touch”.
● Why did you become a nurse?
I became a nurse because I had a pivotal moment as a young girl, where a grandparent was in the hospital. I witnessed various flavours of nursing and saw that I could make a difference in a challenging time of life by being a nurse.
● What do you love about your job?
I love the opportunity to innovate, to continue to learn and to see the long-term effects of good quality learning on patient care.
● What would you like to change about nursing?
The mindsets and narrow views of what nursing is. I would like to see nurses rise in confidence, having a seat at the table and directing care. I have a secret dream of wanting to set up nurse-consultant-led care for inpatients in hospitals (ok, I guess it’s not a secret anymore…but seriously, why aren’t we doing this!)
● Any advice for new nurses?
Develop a growth mindset. Look at everything as an opportunity to learn. Take holidays.
● If you had your time again would you become a nurse again? And why?
Yes, because nursing is SO diverse – the earth is literally at my feet.
● Open Mic
Nurses are repeatedly the most trusted profession. With trust comes great power and responsibility. Represent your profession well – whether on the floor or otherwise. You have the power to make a change in your world! Don’t ever doubt it!
The #1 thing your ward needs right now.
There are several things which would improve every ward across most health care systems. But foot massages and free lunches aren’t going to happen any time soon. But there is one thing which needs to be a focus for us all.
Social Capital.
This is not a familiar concept in nursing. But slowly with the considered and conscious action of all of the nursing community, we can make wonderful changes.
So what is social capital? The formal answer is:
Social capital is the effective functioning of social groups through interpersonal relationships, a shared sense of identity, a shared understanding, shared norms, shared values, trust, cooperation, and reciprocity.
A more simplified way of looking at it is:
Social capital is obtained by building goodwill. This is the simplest way to describe how someone can build or obtain social capital. Social capital can be seen in action in the individual, the group or the community.
In nursing, we can look at social capital as a concept which describes the formative relationships necessary for successful practice in modern healthcare organizations. Social capital may be described as the relationships between individuals and our employers that facilitate action and create value.
The building of the required relationships, connection and goodwill required for social capital takes time. But the research tells us that the communities which take the time to build these relationships have less bullying, less burnout, more collaboration and better outcomes for staff and patients alike. Working together takes away many issues and opens up resources for all. As we focus on building connections we all become stronger, tighter bonds with our colleagues are formed and the very system itself is more sustainable.
See your community as a source of energy, not the source of your problems.
In the coming weeks, I'll share real-life examples of how you can bring about social capital on your ward. I’ll also be sharing links to research on this topic in my Handover emails each Sunday. Click here to sign up, so you do not miss out.
Stop and smell the roses
So really how often do you take time to ‘smell the roses’ in your life?
By this, I mean making an effort to stop and think about the people in your life, the things you have, the experiences you get to have which make you happy. Do you feel a sense of appreciation when you think about them?
Well, there is a different way to a deep appreciation. Want to know it?
Imagine your life without it all.
It has been found that this effect of mental subtraction created a higher life satisfaction than those who did not complete this activity. This life satisfaction was increased across many different parts of your lives- ie. relationships, career, friendships, belongings and home location.
This little hack seems to be a beautiful way to boost gratitude if you are already practising gratitude or a nice place to start if you haven’t found your gratitude flow yet. I like that it makes you feel curious about what you appreciate and properly be present and mindful about all the good things you have.
It can also be really easy to not notice the good AND also take things for granted. WE can forget the good people we work with, our many little and big accomplishments each day and the freedom we have to live life how we want.
So give it a shot:
Take out a pen and paper (or fire up your laptop) and follow these steps:
1.) Pick something in your life you are appreciative of. Ie your job, your health, your safety, your belongings, your partner, your parents, weekends, holidays, house.
2.) Imagine your life without that one good thing. Spend time thinking about the impact. How do you feel?
3.) How your life would be different without it. Describe your feelings.
4.) And now re-evaluate how you feel about that good thing and how you can keep being appreciative of it.
These sort of tips and tricks are our bread and butter within our yearly membership for nursing who take intentional, calm and focused attention to love their work and life. The Phoenix Protocol, is a membership to help nurses find career fulfilment, prevent burnout and love their life, has a monthly self-care calendar for you to tick off each day. For more information on TPP click here.
Top tips for grad nurses
In the coming months, it’s so exciting to think of all the young and enthusiastic nurses about to hit our wards for their grad year. In light of this, I have decided to share my top 10 tips for grad nurses.
Receive Handover
Seems simple but note the wording. ‘Receive’ be alert, mentally present and focused during handover. Don’t just ‘listen’.
Include patients in the care
Take a minute to think about how you would like to be treated as a patient and then use that to guide your work each day. Don’t expect a patient to meet your schedule, make a schedule with them.
Use shift planner
I used a handwritten shift planner for all of my grad year. I wrote my patients across the top, times down the side and filled it with the care required for each patient. I loved being able to tick things off as I went and it helped me to not forget important tasks.
Read up on things you don't know about it
If you come across a med that you do not know then please look it up. If you are caring for a patient who has a condition that you do not know, then please look it up. I have no issue with people looking things up. I have BIG issues with people pretending to know stuff.
Ask for help and offer
If you are losing control of a shift and feel like you are drowning then please ask for help. Ask your in charge, your NUM or the CNE. As above I have no problem with people asking for help. I have BIG problems with people who don’t ask for help and patient care suffers.
Reflect on shifts
This is something that I still do today. I reflect most days on what went well, what felt good, what felt clunky and note where I can improve. This one is NOT optional. You should be doing this every day, especially as a new grad.
Sleep
Simple. Prioritise it. Yes, the lure of Netflix is huge. Answer me this: will watching 2 hours of TV benefit you or will 2 hours extra sleep benefit you more? There is a time and a place for TV but this year I beg you- sleep!!
Get outside
I go outside for a quick walk most workdays. There are some exceptions to the rule. But I do make it a huge priority of mine to get outside and feel the breeze on my face once per shift. This small act of self-care will energise you. Promise.
Take your breaks
Be sure to take your tea break and your meal break. It can feel clunky and awkward to take them when others aren't, BUT missed breaks have been shown to decrease quality of care and increase nursing errors. Don’t be that person. Be the nurse who looks after themselves and provides stellar care.
Use formal support
I wish I had done more as a grad and into my first few years. I wish I had used more formal support from the hospital EAP to help me learn coping strategies to deal with what I saw and dealt with daily. There is no shame in using formalised support. Nurses who admit they need it have my utmost respect.
Do you know we have ‘The Autonomic Companion’?
This book is full of nursing work situations and provides advice and guidance on how to handle them. This is a perfect resource for a new nurse who could do with a little friend in their pocket to help navigate this year. Click here to learn more.