See One, Do One, Teach One

When I joined Metro Life Flight I had a degree in nursing (Associate) and about ten years of experience in emergency nursing. Two months later I was expected to operate in the same capacity as my physician counterpart. Essentially, I had to be able to do everything he or she could do. Meaning I had to be able to do several surgical procedures as well as handle complex medical cases that should come down the pike. Moreover, when push came to shove the flight nurses had the final say in everything. Additionally, we were backed up on all our decisions by the chief of surgery the second most powerful physician in the hospital. Consequently, when we had an idea and or a problem we had an ear who listened and most times unless it would kill someone we knew that we were going to be taken seriously.

The point I am trying to make here is that even though we did not have the education that the doctors we flew with, we still had something to contribute and we were not dismissed with "what do you know". I find many of my friends telling me that when they move to new position they have to prove themselves and or their ideas are not worth S@#& because of just plain ignorance by their supervisor. Many supervisors out there could take a lesson from the medical world and quit trying to make their subordinates prove themselves over and over and over again. Medicine and nurses operate under the old adage "See one, do one, teach one" and move one. You only have to prove yourself once.