Not Stupid, Just New

Dear Masked Maven The Stitch

By: Masked Maven

Published: 8/15/2024

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"Even though I have made a lot of progress, it seems that no matter how hard I try, everyone keeps treating me like I’m stupid."

 

Q: 

Dear Masked Maven,  

I am a new nurse who is about halfway through orientation. I still have a lot to learn but I feel like I have the basics down. However, even though I have made a lot of progress, it seems that no matter how hard I try, everyone keeps treating me like I’m stupid. They are constantly telling me things I already know and get nervous when I approach the sterile field even though I know the guidelines for keeping sterility intact. My biggest frustration is when seasoned nurses get even closer to the field than I do but I’m the one who gets scolded, not them. How do I convince my teammates that I know what I’m doing (mostly)?

Sincerely, 

Not Stupid, Just New

A: 

Dear Just New,

I have bad news and good news for you. The bad news is that the only thing to convince your coworkers that you know what you’re doing is time. The good news is that your coworkers will indeed begin to trust you after some time.

Every member who is an integral part of the OR team has gone through what you are going through right now. In fact, even seasoned nurses go through a brief period of what you have termed “being treated as stupid” when they get hired at a different facility or start with a new team. It has nothing to do with competence. It is about the team being very protective of their sterile fields and workflow. This is a good thing! It means your team members have excellent surgical conscience and are good at their jobs. They know the pain of a sole vendor tray having to be reprocessed, or the end of a table being contaminated, or an expensive supply item wasted. Surgical teams will always be quick to defend their precious blue, even if it means scolding and offending someone new in the room. The same applies to the workflows that they have perfected over their years of working with different surgeons.

My advice while you wait for people to trust you? Avoid saying, “I know,” and instead say, “Thank you,” “Thank you for the reminder,” or “Thank you for keeping an eye on me.” I know this will feel a little bit like admitting pseudo-incompetence, but I promise you, it will actually showcase your willingness to learn. When you thank your mentors for their guidance, it lets your teammates know that you absolutely respect their practices and will listen to their suggestions. When you show respect and gratitude for their advice, they in turn will begin to respect you for being willing to listen and follow suggestions.

If you try to assure people that you know what you’re doing by saying, “I know,” it will actually shut down communication. You will be viewed as arrogant or unwilling to receive feedback. This will impede your education. However, if you showcase your teachability, it will empower you with a secret weapon: information. When you keep telling people thank you for their reminders or suggestions, they will keep giving you reminders and suggestions, which may just make you the smartest employee as you absorb all the good tips from others.

One caveat: it is one thing to be protective of a sterile field or fastidious about workflows for efficiency’s sake, but it is another thing to be a bully. If your team’s comments to you feel downright mean instead of just blunt, please talk with your educator or manager about your situation to get the support you need to be successful.

I know it’s frustrating and a little rough being treated this way, but be patient, keep being grateful for the information you’re getting, and recognize your team’s efforts in patient advocacy. Before you know it, you’ll be the one teaching the new kid how to stay back from the blue.

All the best,

Masked Maven

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