Excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.
Jennifer:
I've met with thousands of acute and critical care nurses inspired by the AACN theme, Courage to Soar. Many have shared how the theme has helped them carve new paths, develop professionally, or even to acknowledge and face what's holding them back. On my path, I've learned firsthand the beautiful changes you can find on the other side of fear, and my guests have too. So today, I'm chatting with an amazing nurse, Jasmin Orange, who has been working tirelessly with a bedside tool to measure, predict and mitigate workplace violence. Jasmin, we are so happy to have you here today.
Jasmin:
Hi Jen, I'm so happy to be here. I’m a nurse in a medical ICU at a Level 1 trauma center, an assistant nurse manager on that unit, and doing a lot for workplace violence within the organization. Luckily, I had a chance to do that and incredibly grateful to be here and share this message with you all.
Reducing Workplace Violence
Jennifer:
I would love to hear how this tool even came about. I know that you were tapped on the shoulder to get this started. Can you talk me through that process?
Jasmin:
I think it's a good story because it’s about professional governance and how that structure helped lead me down a path into something that I'm really passionate about. I was a member of one of our nursing workforce councils. A directive from that council was to implement a tool for workplace violence. And that was just it. It was very broad. And we were like, “OK, we'll find a way to make this work.”
It did take a partnership with nursing scientists, a lot of research about what tools were out there, and what we would be able to use in our organization. We had to pivot a couple of times because the tool that we initially planned to use didn't work out. There were lots of roadblocks along the way and it did take many years, but finally we were able to implement the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression.
We're definitely learning more since implementing that tool about other strategies that we need to have in place. And luckily it's a very robust team. So I'm certainly not alone in any of this work, which I'm grateful for because it's a lot. It's a huge undertaking. As we know, workplace violence is just rising. And it's going to take a multifaceted approach to really combat this.
The Importance of Mentorship
Jasmin:
I would not be where I am in my nursing career if it weren't for mentorship. I am lucky that I have had mentors throughout my career. There's a few who really stick out. Maureen Seckel was a CNS when I first started in the medical ICU. She saw something in me and said, “Hey, I think you could do this!” I first started working on CLABSI initiatives, trying to increase dressing compliance at the unit level. And then she invited me to system-level meetings, which gave me a much broader perspective about how things work across the system.
One of my assistant nurse managers is the reason that I even transitioned into this role, just seeing how well she did the job and juggled both staffing and working clinical, as well as the administrative tasks and the emotional support of the caregivers. It showed me that that's what I like about nursing. I like patient care, but I also really love trying to make the work environment the best it can be for those who I work with. So in this role, I feel like I can do that.
I have a newer ANM [assistant nurse manager] who hopefully I'm doing a good job of mentoring. It's nice to have someone who’s learning and growing in her career, and we're working together and getting through things.
Jennifer:
I think those are the best mentor-mentee relationships. When I was a mentee, I felt like someone was supposed to come along and tap me and help me grow in this role. But then I realized that this is bidirectional. I get so much out of my mentee-mentor relationships.
And at any point in time, you can find yourself being a novice in something or an expert in something else. I love that you're working with your new ANM, because mentoring is really about the collaboration and relationship that happens. It's really just this journey together, just trying to figure out, “OK, what's next?”
Jasmin:
I never have all the answers. I'm always transparent about that. But there's just so much to be gained from having a mentee in general and seeing things from a different perspective. I try to surround myself with people who are good at the things that I am not. I don't see details so well. I'm great at the overview, but those small details get away from me. So having that relationship with people where they can kind of pick up those pieces that I don't always have the answers to.
Jennifer:
But they say the sign of a great leader is recognizing what your strength is and then getting all the other people on the bus that have all the other qualities. So you're right there where you need to be. I love that.
A Healthy Work Environment
Jasmin:
In my unit, it’s like we have an assembly line. We just kind of anticipate each other's needs and work together as a team. From the nurses to the respiratory therapists to the APPs - it's amazing.
Jennifer:
It sounds like your environment is the true definition of a healthy work environment – with the interdisciplinary collaboration and the decision making, being in the assembly line.
Jasmin:
Yes. That's what makes the work environment so great. We can have disagreements. I feel like I can go to a physician and say, “These are my assessments and this is what I'm recommending,” and it's taken seriously. I think that anywhere where your input as a nurse – your training, your experience – is valued is a good place.
Jennifer:
I love hearing that because not everybody has a healthy work environment. The last place I worked was Johns Hopkins, where I had that healthy work environment. It's almost like a double-edged sword because you know what you're capable of; you know what a healthy work environment should look like. And when you go to other places and don't find that, it can be very frustrating. So I try to tell students when they’re looking for jobs to make sure they shadow that environment and get as much information as possible. It doesn't have to be your favorite specialty, honestly. But if you have strong leadership that is going to allow you to grow and really support you in the environment, then that's the place that you should go. And it sounds like you definitely have had that.
Finding the Courage to Soar
Jennifer:
I would love to hear about how you feel the "Courage to Soar" has come to life in your unit. How does that resonate with you?
Jasmin:
So for me, the theme of “Courage to Soar” means being vulnerable, being open. It's like ripping that Band-Aid off and exposing yourself in a way that's uncomfortable. For me as a leader, I tend to put up these walls – I want to be the brave face and say, “Everything's going to be OK; we're going to get this done.” But really, it takes courage to say, “I don't know, I'm not sure.”
It took me a while to be OK with that. I still consider myself a newer manager and I feel like as the person that people look up to, I’m supposed to have all the answers. And when I don't, it's disappointing. I want to fix everything. So having that courage to say, “I don’t know,” having the courage to go to my staff and say, “I'm not sure if this is the right move. I don’t know if I agree with this decision, but I’m going to stand here with you.”
That's part of what Courage to Soar means, but it also means opening up to new things that I wouldn't normally do. So I am considering publication. Two years ago, if you would’ve said that to me, I would say absolutely not. I don't like to write. I don't have anything important to say. But Courage to Soar shows me that people might get something out of what I'm sharing and I can do it.
Even being here and having this conversation is not something I ever imagined would have been possible. But it takes courage to answer the call, to do something new and to expose yourself. So I am eternally grateful that I was able to experience this with you, honestly. I thank you.
Jennifer:
Jasmin, thank you for sharing that. That was amazing. I'm so glad that it resonated with you.
Historically, I think when people look at leaders and see vulnerability, they think that equals weakness. I really want to change that narrative because I think that when you show that human side and you show that vulnerability as a leader, it makes you more relatable. It makes you more connected. People can then see themselves in you. For years, I would sit there and look at the president on that NTI stage and think, “I can never do that.” But if they are authentic and share their vulnerability, it takes down those walls and lessens those barriers to get to where that person is.
As nurses, sometimes we have that shield up, because we want to be perfect and we want to have all the answers. But I think the best thing we can do is just be authentic and be ourselves. I think that makes the best leader. So thank you for everything that you're doing at the bedside.
Jasmin:
I want to thank you for having me on. I'm thankful for the platform to share this information, thankful for the discussion, the honest reflection, and just hearing about all of the things that nursing can be. Just so grateful to be a part of it and grateful to share. So thank you for having me.
Jennifer:
I want to thank Jasmin Orange for spending some time with me today. I have loved having our conversation. You are doing amazing work at the bedside and are such a strong leader. Thank you so much for all of your gifts that you shared with me and for having the Courage to Soar this year. Thanks again.