I spent years as an instructor, floor nurse, supervisor and director. Much of my education in these areas took place on the job and through trial-and-error. This isn’t the most fun way to learn especially when you are expected to be in charge of several aides and the wellbeing of patients.
Below are 10 methods you can use to both supervise and motivate your team.
- Teamwork.
This should be number one. Always. Everywhere. Any time I am asked how I motivate aides to work, I reply: Teamwork. I don’t ask the aides to do anything I am not willing to do myself. Everyone knows it and has seen it. No person, regardless of title, is treated with more respect. We all work hard for the patient. - Be honest.
The best comment I ever heard in a classroom was “Ms. B. you are so diplomatic”. I replied simply, “I’m really not; I just screwed up for 20 years more.” That’s lesson two. Learn from your errors. It’s okay to mess up. Own it and learn from it. Never hide, blame others or lie about an error. It completely dismisses any trust others have in you. - Play by the rules.
The rules aren’t fair. You know and I know it. Try to advocate for your staff when they aren’t being treated fairly. They will know and recognize it. You don’t have to tell them repeatedly. They know who is in their corner fighting for them. They know when it is, and when it isn’t you.When you lost the battle on staffing the unit, play by the rules, and do your best to work on number 4.
- Stay positive.
Some days are harder than others. Some days a box of donuts doesn’t cut it. Everyone is low-carbing it that day and everyone is in a funk. Two people called out, they cut your service alignment and you have an admission. I don’t mean be Miss Mary Sunshine or phony, that’s a recipe for a different kind of disaster. Just don’t add to the negativity. - Respect.
The aides and technicians know more about the patients than anyone in your hospital, community or facility. Listen to them, trust their gut. When they say, something is off with Mrs. Smith in room 101. Check on Mrs. Smith. The Aides see her all the time and deal with all of her idiosyncrasies. Even if she is stable, they appreciate the respect and it will go both ways in the future. - Give positive feedback.
When someone helps out a patient that isn’t theirs, do extra duty, or anything above and beyond, make sure to report it to your supervisor. Preferably in writing. Aides are always being berated and blamed for all that goes wrong on the floor. Let them know that at least one person appreciates their hard work, and that person is you! - Choose your battles.
Nurses have to triage our work on a daily basis. When working with aides and techs it is the same. Help them choose which battles are worth fighting and which aren’t. If they have a cell phone out, a gentle reminder may be enough, “Hey, you know you can’t have that out here, HIPAA.” That usually does the trick, but have the conversation before you have the battle. - Lead by example.
Whatever you are expecting of aides and techs, be willing to do yourself, should time permit. Leading by example could be anything from cleaning, laundry, and showering to following the rules: putting away your own cell phone and covering your own tattoos. You can’t encourage what you don’t practice. - Be willing to teach.
I’ve engaged many aides that were seemingly uninterested in their work. When I asked what brought them to the field they said, “Nursing school”. So whenever I had something “cool” to show them I would let them observe and talk them through it. This increased their engagement in their work and they were more willing to the seemingly mundane tasks.Food for thought, the answer has never been: money.
- Remind.
Yourself and the staff. Patients, residents, customers, whatever your hospital or community calls them. Remind them that you care for them on the worst days of their lives. They are vulnerable and somewhat helpless. They need our compassion