By Guest Blogger: Lorie Brown

I have always wanted to empower nurses to improve our profession.  Nursing is 90% of the healthcare workforce yet has zero percent of the power.  Why is this?  Is it because we’re a female dominated profession?  Or are there certain personality characteristics of nurses that allow us to be treated as just another employee of the hospital?

Having spent the last 23 years representing nurses before the Licensing Board, I have found there are many commonalities in those I represented.  They tend to be very caring and dedicated to their profession.  Every one of them, in one fashion or another, told me how they never thought they would be before the Licensing Board.

I then sat down and made a list of those similarities in an attempt to determine why these nurses were getting into trouble.  What I saw was certain ways of being that empower nurses and certain ways, when not used, allowed nurses to get in trouble.  I put these together and call them “GIFTS.”

When empowered nurses use their GIFTS, they are able to speak their mind, stand in their power and be a change agent to improve patient care.  When empowered nurses do not use some of their GIFTS, then that is when they are more likely to experience a problem.

You’re probably asking, “What are these GIFTS and how can I get them?”  Well, you already have them.

“G” stands for “giving.”  Empowered nurses not only give to their patients but they give to each other as well.  They look for what is wanted and needed on the nursing unit and take care of it because they act like a team and because everybody matters.

“I” is for “integrity.”  Empowered nurses are authentic and are true to their word.  If they say they are going to do something, they will do it.  They act with the utmost integrity.  They are honest and have strong moral principles.  They are a leader on their unit.

“F” stands for “follow through.”  When an empowered nurse does something, something, they follow through to make sure that everything is okay.  For example, when a patient is given pain medication, she follows through to make sure it is effective.  Empowered nurses follow through on everything they set out to do.

“T” is for “trust.”  Empowered nurses are trustworthy and they also trust their gut, that little voice inside of them that says “this patient doesn’t look right…something is going on.”

“S” stands for “source.”  Empowered nurses realize that they are the source of everything that happens on their unit.  They realize they can create the positive things that happen on their unit as well as the negative.  By being the source, they stand in their power to create positive changes.

Are you an empowered nurse?  Take the quiz and find out at http://www.areyouanempowerednurse.com.

Lorie Brown will be our guest on the Living Sublime Wellness Radio Show, tomorrow December 13th at 11 am Eastern. Please listen to Lorie’s interview by visiting her show page. (click here)