Stepping outside your comfort zone
SUMMARY
ISTOCKPHOTO
Want to understand your patients and feel excited about nursing? Then cultivate a spirit of enquiry, write Iain Atherton and Richard Kyle
In the final article in this series on the social sciences, the authors explain how cultivating a spirit of enquiry enables nurses to travel beyond the limits of personal experience to have a better understanding of their patients and themselves. In particular, reading widely can give insights into the lives of others and foster empathy. Authors Iain Atherton and Richard Kyle are readers in the school of nursing, midwifery and social care at Edinburgh Napier University
24 january 21 :: from vol 29 no 21 :: by 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 17, 2016. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
The world is surprising and remarkable, yet our lives are lived in the narrow confines of our personal experience. Inevitably, we comprehend only a fraction of the global community that is humanity. Even the communities of which we are a part are marked as much by differences as by similarities, perhaps more so now than ever. Such diversity can enrich our work and our lives. As geographers we are motivated by the idea of exploration, of making new forays through an unfamiliar world. Our involvement with the social sciences has made us realise just how much there is still to know. All too often education can become a bureaucratic exercise, with competencies to be ticked off and technocratic processes to follow. We see learning as an adventure. A spirit of enquiry is a state of mind that celebrates questioning and the quest for understanding. We believe that this spirit can excite and motivate nurses to improve their understanding of the lives of those in their care, as well as enriching their own experiences.
Limits of experience
Considerable emphasis is often placed on experience, yet the extent to which our own lives can inform us is easily overestimated. Experience is important, but the complexities of nursing require knowledge that is rounded and deep, beyond personal experience. Knowledge based entirely on our own experience is inevitably limited and biased. No situation ever repeats itself exactly. We may have seen similar situations, but to unquestioningly fall back on that earlier knowledge risks missing important differences. For example, individuals’ life stories and biogeographies (places that are important to them) will inevitably lead them to experience a similar diagnosis in different ways. Even someone admitted to hospital on several occasions with the same condition will not
How Iain stopped worrying and started questioning Iain felt unsure of himself. He was new to neurology and had no experience in his personal life of conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. He tried as best he could to provide care and support for his patients, learning from colleagues and textbooks. Patients indicated that they were happy with his care, but Iain always had niggling doubts. Some years later Iain went to university for the first time, having gained his nursing registration in an era when learning was largely ward-based rather than academic. At first he found studying difficult and frustrating. Then something clicked; he realised the value of asking questions and used them to give his work focus. He cultivated a spirit of enquiry. Instead of spending his time accruing facts and worrying about what he did not know, he thrived in questioning – his friends, his lecturers and, perhaps most importantly, himself. Some years later he reflected on his insecurities as a newly qualified nurse: would his approach to caring have been different had he cultivated a spirit of enquiry earlier in his career? Would he have felt less insecure and stressed had he been more comfortable acknowledging his limitations? How would his care have been different if he had asked about his patients’ needs? Would he have had more empathetic understanding of his colleagues? Now Iain was excited to draw on his own conversations, reading and reflection to ask questions of his students and colleagues. He hoped to stir in them the spirit of enquiry that he had found so inspiring. have the same needs during every admission; their knowledge of their condition can improve or new symptoms develop, and their nursing needs will be different, albeit perhaps only subtly. An unquestioning reliance on experience will hamper empathy – it cannot develop where we make assumptions.
Questioning the unfamiliar
Acknowledging our limitations is hard, and humbling, but it has the potential to excite. Consider the joy of children when they encounter the unfamiliar; we can learn from their tendency to question everything. Instead of being a source of stress, uncertainty can become a starting point for questioning. Like
children, we should be excited as we reach the limits of our experience – a spirit of enquiry encourages us to move past these limits. This exploration takes us through stimulating conversations with friends, colleagues and patients, literary worlds in our reading, and our own reverie.
Practise with purpose
Cultivating this spirit of enquiry helps us to move forward with our practice. Through conversations with our patients we learn about the experiences of others, and by asking questions we gain insight from their perspective. Enquiry also enables us to read with purpose. Instead of spending days never getting beyond the opening chapter we can, in a matter of minutes, find the section relevant to our particular question. Our reading can become effective and motivating. Our own reflection, too, can promote our practice by triggering us to think about what we have done and learned, and what we need to know now.
Next steps
Explore. Read widely. Newspapers, novels, blogs can all give insight into the lives of others and enable us to become more rounded in our empathetic understanding of those in our care. They may also alert you to issues locally and globally that might stir your passions and encourage involvement. We also urge you to look at literature from beyond nursing, especially the social sciences. Dip in and see what surprising and stimulating gems you can find, then tell your friends and colleagues and ask their views. You might just encourage them too, stirring their spirit of enquiry, and find they join you on your expedition NS To read all the articles in this series go to tinyurl.com/nwjn3jf Ideas shared in this series of articles have developed through the ongoing Social Science and Nurse Education seminar series funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (www.socialscienceandnursing.com)
NURSING STANDARD january 21 other :: vol uses 29 no 21 :: permission. 2015 25 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 17, 2016. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
SUMMARY
ISTOCKPHOTO
Want to understand your patients and feel excited about nursing? Then cultivate a spirit of enquiry, write Iain Atherton and Richard Kyle
In the final article in this series on the social sciences, the authors explain how cultivating a spirit of enquiry enables nurses to travel beyond the limits of personal experience to have a better understanding of their patients and themselves. In particular, reading widely can give insights into the lives of others and foster empathy. Authors Iain Atherton and Richard Kyle are readers in the school of nursing, midwifery and social care at Edinburgh Napier University
24 january 21 :: from vol 29 no 21 :: by 2015 STANDARD Downloaded RCNi.com ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 17, 2016. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
The world is surprising and remarkable, yet our lives are lived in the narrow confines of our personal experience. Inevitably, we comprehend only a fraction of the global community that is humanity. Even the communities of which we are a part are marked as much by differences as by similarities, perhaps more so now than ever. Such diversity can enrich our work and our lives. As geographers we are motivated by the idea of exploration, of making new forays through an unfamiliar world. Our involvement with the social sciences has made us realise just how much there is still to know. All too often education can become a bureaucratic exercise, with competencies to be ticked off and technocratic processes to follow. We see learning as an adventure. A spirit of enquiry is a state of mind that celebrates questioning and the quest for understanding. We believe that this spirit can excite and motivate nurses to improve their understanding of the lives of those in their care, as well as enriching their own experiences.
Limits of experience
Considerable emphasis is often placed on experience, yet the extent to which our own lives can inform us is easily overestimated. Experience is important, but the complexities of nursing require knowledge that is rounded and deep, beyond personal experience. Knowledge based entirely on our own experience is inevitably limited and biased. No situation ever repeats itself exactly. We may have seen similar situations, but to unquestioningly fall back on that earlier knowledge risks missing important differences. For example, individuals’ life stories and biogeographies (places that are important to them) will inevitably lead them to experience a similar diagnosis in different ways. Even someone admitted to hospital on several occasions with the same condition will not
How Iain stopped worrying and started questioning Iain felt unsure of himself. He was new to neurology and had no experience in his personal life of conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. He tried as best he could to provide care and support for his patients, learning from colleagues and textbooks. Patients indicated that they were happy with his care, but Iain always had niggling doubts. Some years later Iain went to university for the first time, having gained his nursing registration in an era when learning was largely ward-based rather than academic. At first he found studying difficult and frustrating. Then something clicked; he realised the value of asking questions and used them to give his work focus. He cultivated a spirit of enquiry. Instead of spending his time accruing facts and worrying about what he did not know, he thrived in questioning – his friends, his lecturers and, perhaps most importantly, himself. Some years later he reflected on his insecurities as a newly qualified nurse: would his approach to caring have been different had he cultivated a spirit of enquiry earlier in his career? Would he have felt less insecure and stressed had he been more comfortable acknowledging his limitations? How would his care have been different if he had asked about his patients’ needs? Would he have had more empathetic understanding of his colleagues? Now Iain was excited to draw on his own conversations, reading and reflection to ask questions of his students and colleagues. He hoped to stir in them the spirit of enquiry that he had found so inspiring. have the same needs during every admission; their knowledge of their condition can improve or new symptoms develop, and their nursing needs will be different, albeit perhaps only subtly. An unquestioning reliance on experience will hamper empathy – it cannot develop where we make assumptions.
Questioning the unfamiliar
Acknowledging our limitations is hard, and humbling, but it has the potential to excite. Consider the joy of children when they encounter the unfamiliar; we can learn from their tendency to question everything. Instead of being a source of stress, uncertainty can become a starting point for questioning. Like
children, we should be excited as we reach the limits of our experience – a spirit of enquiry encourages us to move past these limits. This exploration takes us through stimulating conversations with friends, colleagues and patients, literary worlds in our reading, and our own reverie.
Practise with purpose
Cultivating this spirit of enquiry helps us to move forward with our practice. Through conversations with our patients we learn about the experiences of others, and by asking questions we gain insight from their perspective. Enquiry also enables us to read with purpose. Instead of spending days never getting beyond the opening chapter we can, in a matter of minutes, find the section relevant to our particular question. Our reading can become effective and motivating. Our own reflection, too, can promote our practice by triggering us to think about what we have done and learned, and what we need to know now.
Next steps
Explore. Read widely. Newspapers, novels, blogs can all give insight into the lives of others and enable us to become more rounded in our empathetic understanding of those in our care. They may also alert you to issues locally and globally that might stir your passions and encourage involvement. We also urge you to look at literature from beyond nursing, especially the social sciences. Dip in and see what surprising and stimulating gems you can find, then tell your friends and colleagues and ask their views. You might just encourage them too, stirring their spirit of enquiry, and find they join you on your expedition NS To read all the articles in this series go to tinyurl.com/nwjn3jf Ideas shared in this series of articles have developed through the ongoing Social Science and Nurse Education seminar series funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (www.socialscienceandnursing.com)
NURSING STANDARD january 21 other :: vol uses 29 no 21 :: permission. 2015 25 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Oct 17, 2016. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
