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No-Judgment Zone
Transplant Surgical Services, 9/13/12
David Cox RN BBA

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As the old saying goes,
“Things are not always what they seem”

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Illusions and Misunderstandings
have long been sources of
fascination and amusement!
All the more so when People are
involved…

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Misunderstood—Contemporary Version

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“EASY A”, A 2010 TEEN COMEDY
STARRING EMMA STONE
A humorous modern take on the Nathaniel Hawthorne classic,
“The Scarlet Letter”, shows what happens when a bright but
under-the-social-radar teenager decides to use the school's
gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her
classmates are turning against her and the school board is
becoming concerned…

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Why are people sometimes misunderstood
by everybody around them?

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Rush to Judgment
Like the people around Olive in “Easy A”, sometimes we pass
judgments on others based on misunderstandings,
unreasonable expectations, erroneous data, or “discernment”
of behavioral “patterns” that don’t actually exist.

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Rush to Judgment
Even though CARING is said to be the heart & soul of nursing,
passing judgments on others—patients or colleagues—does not
demonstrate CARING to the one on whom the “sentence” is passed!

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Caring for the Newbies
More than ever, our hospital has New Nurses
coming on board as our colleagues.

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Caring for the Newbies
This trend is expected to continue because:
• All hospitals, on average, have more New Nurses as part of the mix
• As existing older nurses retire, more Newbies will be hired to replace
them
• Mayo Clinic Florida is committed to supporting the growth of nursing
and to supporting our area nursing schools

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Caring for the Newbies
Mayo Clinic Hospital’s support of the new nurse includes:
• Excellent orientation program, featuring one-on-one support from
an experienced and committed staff nurse
• A cutting-edge nurse residency program, the first of its kind in
this area

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Caring for the Newbies
So how long will all this support be necessary? How long will it
take before the Newbies can “sail their own ship”?

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THE EXPERT NURSE
•The Research & writings of Dr.
Patricia Benner help us to quantify
both what it takes to be an expert
nurse, and how long it takes for this
process to come to completion
•By understanding this process, we
can have an idea of how long it
should take before our Newbie
Nurses can function at the higher
levels we all aspire to

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To get to Competent Practitioner Level (the 3rd
of Benner’s 5 levels): at least 2 YEARS
SO HOW
LONG DOES
IT TAKE TO
CLIMB THIS
MOUNTAIN?

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To get to Proficient Practitioner Level (the 4th
of Benner’s 5 levels): 3-5 YEARS
SO HOW
LONG DOES
IT TAKE TO
CLIMB THIS
MOUNTAIN?

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HOW ABOUT THE NEWBIE?
Let’s take a closer look at Benner’s “Advanced Beginner” stage:
 According to Benner, a nurse in this stage:
o recognizes the meaningful aspects of real clinical situations
o has experienced enough real situations to start to make judgments about them,
but…
o struggles to determine which aspects of a situation are important and which are not
o demonstrates marginally accepted performance
 For the non-newbies among us, WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE!
 This includes PCTs & Monitor Techs too!
 Do you remember those days? What was it like to be that “advanced beginner”?
 How were you received by your colleagues?

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So…based on what we’ve learned today,
IS IT REASONABLE TO EXPECT THE NEWBIE NEVER
TO MAKE A MISTAKE?

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Unfortunately, despite the fact that we’re ALL imperfect,
and we’ve ALL “been there” (as a newbie), that doesn’t
stop some of us from unfairly judging our newest--and
most vulnerable--colleagues…
“We judge ourselves by our intentions,
but others by their actions.”--unknown

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Mayo Clinic Service Essentials
Our unreasonable expectations of the new staff members often
cause us to criticize and gossip about them. So let me ask you:
Which one of the Mayo Service Essentials does this reflect?

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Instead of “nurses eating their young”…

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…let’s resolve to help ‘em out a little!

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No-Judgment Zone

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No-Judgment Zone
The Benefits of a No-Judgment Zone on our unit include:
•Positive work environment
•Less employee turnover
•Positive self-esteem
o for the newbie—ALL new staff
o for the rest of us
Does this sound like something you’d like
to have here?

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No-Judgment Zone
Sounds good! So how do I get there?

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No-Judgment Zone
In the No Judgment Zone, the nursing staff pledges to:
• Refrain from judging our Newbie Nurses
• Give them positive, yet accurate, feedback about their work
• Discuss any perceived deficiencies directly with them or with their preceptor
• Hold colleagues to the same standards
• WE CAN DO THIS!

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Celebrate Together!
• While we shouldn't depend on others to make us happy,
by building a positive team or support group at work
we will be happier.
• So instead of expecting others to make you happy, you
proactively create the positive relationships that
enhance your engagement, productivity and happiness.

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Celebrate Together!
• One great way to HELP OUR NEWBIE NURSES is to do what pastor
and organizational guru Andy Stanley calls “celebrating the win”.
• Try this—ask the Newbie Nurse a simple question: “What happened
last week that made you feel like you’ve made progress in your mission
to become a great nurse?” And then, celebrate that with the Newbie!
• WHY? Because, as Andy says, “what is celebrated is repeated.” It’s
human nature!

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In Conclusion…
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy!”
Isn’t mercy what nursing is all about?

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Questions & Comments?

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THANK YOU!!!