Locate sources for maintaining practice updates. During your orientation,
build in time to visit the hospital library or website for the latest practice updates.
Frequently, practice or education committees discuss a current research article
that is germane to that specialty. Ask your preceptor about such committees
or councils and arrange to sit in on one of their meetings to observe how they
field questions about practice changes. Try to learn about the process of how
changes occur in your facility, such as the route that practice changes take for
approval. One example of understanding EBP change is attending a specialty
practice committee as a new employee and being impressed by the excellent
debate about updating a practice policy. When the process for change is better
understood, it is easier to prepare for new updates because you know where
change information stems from.
Learning from role models is a good way to learn, provided it is positive role
modeling. Role modeling can be informally observed by any nurses on the unit,
or it may be formalized by having a preceptor or by asking someone to act as a
mentor. Any or all of these role models are helpful to enhance professionalism
for novice nurses. Ask positive role models how they use current evidence
in their practice. However, be forewarned that the expert nurse might not
be able to provide specifics because that person weaves change so inherently
into practice that it is difficult for this nurse to share what the novice needs to
know (Benner, 1984).
On the down side, new graduates may observe practices that are not desir-
able or even safe. A word of caution here: As the new person on the unit, you
need to be careful about questioning those practices or your self-development
could be stunted. You need to alert someone, especially if what you observe is
unsafe, because there may be people who remain quite behind in their adop-
tion of new practices. An example of this was when a new employee learned
how to use correct body mechanics when moving patients. When she was first
on the unit and assisted staff members with moving a patient from a bed to a
cart, she commented that the others were not using correct body mechanics,
as she had learned. An experienced nurse negated her comments, noting that
this was the fastest way to move patients and the way it was always done. The
new employee was puzzled by this comment because she understood the sta-
tistics behind back injuries, so she discussed this with her nurse educator. As a
result, all staff members on the unit needed to relearn proper body mechanics
to prevent injuries, thereby enhancing clinical practice for all, not just the new
graduate. Talking to a preceptor or another trusted peer can offer insight into
these observations. Be careful not to be overly critical of unit practice because
there may be reasons behind the actions that are not readily apparent. As a new
person on the unit, you need to gain some trust among your peers, and this
takes time. Becoming aware of discrepancies between expectations and whatKEY TERM
professionalism:
A set of behaviors
that exemplify
the role of the
professional nurse458 CHAPTER 17 Developing Oneself as an Innovator