Respecting, Valuing and Learning from Experienced Practitioners
Respecting the Experiences of Others – 11/24/14 by Donna Setterholm, RN, BSN, MA
Experience needs to be valued no matter when it was acquired, for it is what we build upon to make effective change, evaluate outcomes, and draw upon to make mature decisions. Historical errors need not be recreated if you have lived and understood past experiences. Every person working with you is currently gaining experience and knowledge, regardless of how many years he/she has been in the business. So if you think their experience or ideas are obsolete, then so are yours – we don’t operate in a vacuum.
Consider this example: The river guide and the rapids (Modified from unknown author): It’s probably not an accident that rapid (as in rapid change) shares a root with rapids (as seen at Lava Falls in the Grand Canyon).
The river guide, piloting his wooden dory, has but one strategy. Get the boat to the end of the river, safely. And he has countless tactics, an understanding of how water and rocks work, and, if you’re lucky, experience on this particular river.
The issue: the captain changes his tactics constantly, sometimes automatically. He doesn’t need to get out a manual to check protocols on maneuvers. He doesn’t stop the boat and say, “Wait, no fair, yesterday this rock wasn’t like this!” No, the practice of being great at shooting the rapids is softness in choosing the right tactic, the ability to hold the tiller with confidence but not locking into it. If your pilot keeps demanding that the rapids cooperate, it’s probably time to find a new pilot.
Domain knowledge underlies all of it. Give me an experienced captain over a new one any day–the ones that got this far for a reason. Yes, the reckless or inexperienced pilot might get lucky, but the experienced pilot brings domain knowledge to his/her job. It takes guts to go onto the river, but once you’re there, the one who can see what’s coming and see what matters is the one you want piloting your boat. If you aspire to train a new captain, consider selecting someone who has considerable and varied experiences under competent captains first to reduce the chances of catastrophic outcomes.
Dimensions for younger/newer nurses and managers to think about:
- If you are the patient, who would you want to pilot your care/case?
- When you have been a nurse for 15, 20, or more years, will you appreciate some “newer” nurse telling you or implying that your knowledge sets or ideas are obsolete?
- What kind of precedence do you want to establish for yourself or your generation regarding respect vs criticism for experienced, seasoned nurses?
- No one can share experiences or teach anyone anything who doesn’t want to learn from him/her. That is attempting to create a vacuum or void. It prolongs ignorance. This statement includes managers as well as staff.