There are a lot of things about nursing that your school, lecturers, and books might not have warned you about. Aside from difficult patients, there are also difficult nurses.

Whether it’s stress or just their personalities that make them difficult to deal with, here are a few recommendations you can use to respond better to the situation and their personalities.

#1: The Complainer

What you should do: Avoid taking things seriously.

Your co-worker’s behaviors and actions in the hospital are reflections of what goes on inside her and not of you. She may be acting like that because she’s experiencing some issues at home or she could be just as tired as you are.

If she snaps at you about a small problem, you can just acknowledge what she said. Acknowledgement doesn’t necessarily mean you agree, but it’s a good way of showing your co-worker that you understand her, her point of view and where she’s coming from.

If she starts complaining about her schedule or her patients, acknowledge her feelings and excuse yourself. As simple as that.

#2: Mr. Know-It-All

What you should do: Limit your words.

Talking back and persistently reasoning out can’t do the situation any good. As a matter of fact, the more you talk, the harder the situation becomes to resolve. Instead on focusing on words, you need to be more aware of your actions. Pick your battles to avoid spending unnecessary energy.

Choose your words appropriately when conversing with this coworker. Use direct and concise statements to deliver your point across. You should also set a time limit on how long you’ll be discussing the issue.

“Sometimes, not talking is better than talking. If you keep on supporting your opinion, it just puts the other person in defensive mode and the argument will just go on and on. Problems aren’t solved that way,” a veteran nurse explained.

#3: The Bully

What you should do: Establish boundaries.

Yelling and shouting should not be tolerated, particularly if you are in the presence of your patients. These actions limit the credibility and the authority of your hospital and those who work inside it.

If such an incident happens, simply remove yourself from the situation. Assess the capability of your co-worker to engage in a constructive discussion first before confronting her. Approaching her when she’s still enraged can only lead to more problems.

#4: The Gossip

What you should do: Lessen complaints and gossips.

Constant complaining and gossiping will only make your working environment more negative. Instead of digging a deeper hole, try to be more proactive in finding a solution to the problem.

It’s not necessary that you exert effort on changing the person, but it could help if you can give her the opportunity to express herself, without people talking behind her back. Bullies are often victims of bullying, too. If you’re going to make her feel like she needs to defend herself to everyone in the area, the more likely she’ll snap and spread gossip about everything and everyone.

#5: The Backstabber

What you should do: Exert more effort in knowing your co-worker.

Making your colleague feel isolated and neglected will only make matter worse. Instead of leaving him behind, you can invite him over to lunch with your other colleagues or to your next dinner party.

Creating a sense of belongingness can help lessen his need to backstab anyone. Once “the backstabber” feels that he’s an integral part of the team, the less time he’ll spend in destroying it.

“We usually set an annual date for team building activities. I believe these opportunities allow the nurses in my area to get to know each other well. Since we started this tradition, there were fewer reports of workplace misunderstandings,” a head nurse said.

How do you handle a difficult co-worker? Did some of these insights apply to your situation?

Source: nurseslabs.com

The comments by the first deputy speaker of parliament and the minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu and Joseph Osei-Owusu respectively on the floor of parliament in the wake of the debate to decriminalize attempted suicide are very unfortunate. I had long thought that Haruna Iddrisu, the much-touted walking encyclopedia of Ghana’s parliament was indeed the Einstein until his unfortunate comment or rather a dishonest thought. Hon. Haruna Iddrisu comment that parliament should not decriminalize attempted suicide and the country should continue to jail persons who attempt to commit suicide to serve as a deterrent to others is a sad one to note. Haruna Iddrisu even made his case unconvincing by citing a scenario where a man hanged himself after having a fight with his sister, saying, people like that cannot be said to have a mental illness. The minority leader ought to be told that mental illness comes in various forms and it is not only those who roam naked on the street. Over 90% of persons who commit suicide have mental problems in one way or the other underlying their actions. Surprisingly, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu rather sees altruistic suicide as a justifiable act but condemns suicide in depression and stress. He stated, “You do not want to think that when you have depression and distress, the ultimate thing is that you go and take your life since you cannot recover your life back”. In this era of internet buzz, the gentle minority leader could have done himself good by doing a simple search rather than making an unsubstantiated statement. Is Hon. Huruna Iddrisu oblivion of section 76 (10) of the Mental Health Act, 2012 or the parliament’s walking encyclopedia didn’t revise his notes before the debate? The criminal code section 57(2) of the criminal offences Act, 1960 (act 29) which criminalizes attempted suicide in Ghana is contrary to section 76 (10) of the Mental Health Act (Act 846) which clearly states, “A court may authorize for psychiatric assessment of a person who attempts to commit suicide”. In this vein, the Mental Health Authority and other stakeholders have organized several workshops for Judges and Magistrates across the country on how to suspect mental illness in line of their duties and to refer them to the psychiatric hospitals for assessment. The Mental Health Advocacy Gh also petitioned parliament to repeal this colonial era-law thus section 57(2) of the criminal offences act, 1960 (Act 29) which has outlived its purpose. The first deputy speaker of parliament, honorable Joseph Osei-Owusu on the other hand claims no person have been prosecuted in Ghana for attempting to commit suicide and that the call to decriminalize the law is needless. Is the Bekwai MP really serious? Evidence abounds on the internet and the Hon. MP could have sought help by a simple search rather than exposing his ignorance. The evidences are there: In 2011, a farmer in the Ashanti region was convicted and sentenced to 3 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted suicide. The farmer was said to have claimed that he was not loved by his community and so he decided to kill himself from this world by cutting his throat but was fortunately rescued by a passer-by. The Good Samaritan reported him to the police where he was medically treated in a hospital and subsequently jailed. This was a case of mental illness who needed psychiatric treatment but instead, he was given a jail sentence to worsen his plight. See https://www.modernghana.com/news/329852/suicide-man-jailed.html In another incidence of such cruelty of the anti-suicide law in Ghana, a 20-year-old male student was in 2005 sentenced to 24 months in prison by a magistrate court for attempted suicide. See https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Student-jailed-for-attempted-suicide-88687. The comments by these two MPs tell industry players in the mental health sector that a lot more education and awareness creation about mental illness needs to be done to demystify the myth surrounding mental illness. It is interesting to note that England abolished its laws criminalizing attempted suicide in 1961, only a year after the same law was passed in Ghana, the then Gold Coast, yet Ghana and several of the British former colonies continue to maintain and criminalizes attempted suicide instead of also repealing same. Countries that have decriminalized attempted suicide including India, Canada, South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia, according to media reports have recorded a significant decrease in the suicide rate.   It is the hope that Ghana will also repeal and decriminalize attempted suicide. Suicide is a psychological or mental problem that needs psychiatric treatment, not imprisonment. Suicide is a call for help.   The writer, Malcolm Ali is a mental health advocate and a psychiatric nurse at Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital. Email: chibaronet@gmail.com

“Your attitude toward duty was exceptional. You proved to clients and staff that they needed each other’s support in order for us to achieve our goal. Your commitment to the Polyclinic’s activities was exemplary…” These are few of the words of gratitude showered on Nurse Belinda Dzierdzorm Korley by the management of Ho Polyclinic for her hard work, sense of initiative, enthusiasm toward responsibilities, patient-centeredness and show of discipline in the performance of her nursing and leadership roles. Nurse Korley was honoured at a 2017 end-of-year award ceremony in Ho, in the Volta Region. The 29-year-old nurse was born at Abor and lived her early childhood days in her mother’s hometown, Hikpo, in the Volta Region. At age 4, she was sent to Ashaiman, near Tema, where she had her basic education under the care of an aunt, while her mother stayed back in the village to ply a trade in dressing making and petty consumables to cover her upkeep. She sought further studies at Chemu Senior High School from 2003, where she read General Science. Raised by a single parent with the support of her uncle, in the lowly shacks of Ashaiman, Nurse Korley defied the odds of uncertainties, took a factory hand job in a construction company, where she raised money to help pay her training college fees.  Today, she remains a symbol of dedication among her peers. The wife, and mother of one, appreciated her mother for being a central part of her life. [appbox googleplay screenshots com.digitalnursinglabs.nursecompanion] Nurse Korley recalled; “Growing up, all I wanted to be was a lawyer. I can’t remember what informed my choice but it was one that I wasn’t going to trade for anything. I remember mum used to teach me A-B-C-D at home before I started nursery in my village. But before completing junior high school, life took several turns for my mum, my two younger sisters and me. Again, there wasn’t anything in terms of career guidance. Then, there was the issue of family expectations in terms of school and social life…” In what came as an emotional moment for the celebrated nurse, Belinda recalled further; ‘I didn’t have the luxury of choosing my dream school or course. So General Science did me, and not the other way around. I was confused at the end of the course because I didn’t know what to apply for, thinking that Law wasn’t going to absorb me. I didn’t therefore apply to Law school. Then Steve [now her husband] proposed nursing and here I am today.” “Nursing training school changed me a lot. There were times I asked myself whether nursing was the right place for me. It was difficult separating my emotions from my job. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing a patient under my care. Even a cockroach scared me, but all that changed. I learnt to accept that!” She added. Recounting her past experiences put Nurse Korley in tears. She admitted, “I have some flashbacks that I couldn’t mention. But thanks to my mum and a few others…God has been faithful. I always told myself, “You can’t fail.”  Nurse Korley is currently pursuing a fellowship specialty in Paediatrics at the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives. She attended the Ho Nursing and Midwifery Training School. [appbox googleplay screenshots com.digitalnursinglabs.nursecompanion] Among the leadership roles played by Nurse Korley are Institutional Coordinator for Peer Review Activities, Drugs and Therapeutics Committee Member, and Focal Person for Quality Improvement Initiatives. In her last words, she said, “I look forward to becoming a professor in Nursing while making time to build my family. I would also love to build a home for the less privileged and give them hope to be what they want to be. The nursing profession is proud of you, Nurse Belinda Dziedzorm Korley. Remain a beacon of Inspiration.