Speak Up

You know when you know something isn’t right? You can feel it in your soul, straight down to your core, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Your whole mood is affected, you can’t focus on anything else, and even though you can’t tell someone what’s wrong, you know something is wrong?

Not always knowing what is wrong, but knowing something is wrong is one of my strengths. Sometimes, I see things before they happen. No, not in a creepy “I see dead people” 6th sense kind of way, but in a way that my body senses a problem sometimes before it presents itself and then I have to work like crazy to try and figure it out. This is one of the reasons I believe I was called into nursing: intuition … and I firmly believe many other strong nurses have the same gift.

I used to think being a nurse was just that… being a nurse. You worked 3 days a week and if you schedule it right, could have off 7 days in a row without taking vacation time… what??! I’m robbing the system! Like I said… it’s anything but. 

I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve had patients where I felt my intuition creeping up and something just wasn’t right. When a patient may have had a small change, but I’m with them all the time, I know that this small change will turn into a big change if we don’t address it and address it NOW. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve second guessed my intuition and thought that “I’m just a nurse” and that doctors, fellows and residents know more than me. After all, I don’t have that education, right? Those thoughts are just that… thoughts. It’s time we as nurses, overcome our fears and speak up. We have more knowledge than we know.

Nurses, CNA’s/ACP’s, literally anyone..  we don’t have to wait for the ball to drop before we listen to our intuition. If you feel something is wrong, speak up. If you can’t explain what it is, but know something is happening to the one you’re entrusted with that you can’t physically see yet… speak up. If you’re not getting feedback you’re comfortable with, keep speaking up. If you have a feeling, if you see something just isn’t right, if you can’t stop thinking about it… you’re probably not wrong. And if you are? Better to be proactive, than nonreactive. Speak up.