While in college, I was involved in multiple associations and help leadership roles, and I have done the StrengthsFinder assessment many times. The “signature themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent” (Rath, 2007). My top five were: Learner, Achiever, Belief, Includer, and Restorative. I believe the results of this assessment display accurate results to the themes I find to be true to myself. It did not surprise me that Learner was ranked number one on my list because I have “always been drawn to the process of learning” (Rath, 2007). I am a true believer that knowledge is power. I left the emergency room since there were not as many educational opportunities that were offered to help me grow as the CVICU (cardiovascular intensive care unit) offered. After not even a year of being there, I have managed to be checked off on multiple devices such as CRRT (Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy), ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), Impella, Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump, etc. It is satisfying for me to push myself to learn new things, and I always think, “what is the next skill to tackle?” One core value that learners hold is that they are more excited about the learning journey than the outcome.
The Achiever was second on my list, which goes hand in hand with Learner. The Achiever is said to have “an internal fire burning inside you [and] it pushes you to do more, to achieve more” (Rath, 2007). However, it mentions that achievers need a tangible achievement to feel satisfied, and I am afraid I must disagree with this statement. In nursing, there is not always a tangible achievement at the end of the day, nor is it the reason I went into nursing. I have an internal gratification that satisfies me after achieving my next goal. For example, if patient cardiac arrests and we cannot bring them back, I do not feel like I am an Achiever. However, the conversation with the family made me feel like I had achieved my goal of doing everything possible to save the patient. The Achiever inside of me keeps me going day to day, even on those days when you are not motivated. The Achiever holds motivation as one of their core values to help themselves and others keep pushing.
Based on the results of my StrengthsFinder assessment, I would like to strengthen two characteristics: my sense of judgment and detachment. I tend to judge people based on their work, which is not always the best representation of someone’s character. For example, I was called into a room to assess a less responsive patient and found that the patient had ipsilateral pupil dilation. After questioning the nurse about when this change was found, she stated that she noticed the pupil change hours ago. At that moment, I immediately judged her nursing skills as inadequate, but then I remembered that she had only had experience working in the CVICU, and my experience was different because of my background. Healthcare leadership brings different skill sets together to take care of a patient. (Walden University, 2014). It is so quick to judge someone, and it has been a personal goal I have been working on.
Regarding detachment, I always find myself involved in emergent situations in the unit. I received feedback from a colleague once that sometimes it would be nice to step back and allow others to intervene. I did not take this personally because she was right; how can others work on their critical thinking skills if I answer/do things right away. Allowing the new graduate nurses to learn from experienced nurses “allows them to move into the practice arena with assistance” (Aiken, 2015). Since this feedback was given, I have tried to step back and teach others what to do rather than doing things myself.
References
Aiken, Linda. (2015). Lessons in Leadership. YouTube. June 23, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL6DH8iOQOM&list=PLopRJPO6GaifsYPGP_jcWXZzU10H3AaX7&index=8.
Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0
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