Like Herding Cats

I recently had the opportunity to be present at a military school’s invocation. The cadets were almost indistinguishable from each other in the same uniform, hair style and even the way they carried themselves. This level of conformity might be disturbing to some, but these cadets didn’t seem upset. In a rousing speech from one of their peers, a senior cadet celebrated their work together and their ability to work as a cohesive unit. As I sat there, I unconsciously began to make comparisons to my team of dietitians at the hospital and the team of students at this school.

First of all, let me say that dietitians are internally very supportive. At both of the hospitals where I work, the dietitians have been a tight-knit group and also active and engaged members of the medical team. And we should be. Our patient care depends on our relationships with each other as well as our role on our floors. I can’t possibly count the number of times we’ve taken on additional patients for each other or other roles as well. While nothing is ever perfect, our team is amazingly supportive of each other.

While this post could be sunshine and kittens all around, something IS rotten in Denmark. I’ve noticed that when our clinical manager proposes changes to our documentation, procedures, or any aspect of our jobs, she is met with fierce resistance, complaining, and usually an outright refusal to follow those changes. Unlike the cadets, we’ve never met any of these proposed changes with anything better than extreme reluctance.

The Inevitability of Change

We all know that change is difficult. Many of the changes in our lives bring stress and can cause a significant amount of personal or professional difficulty. I think that in the hospital setting, we feel safe and secure with the status quo. When we’re asked to make a change, we’re often faced with additional stress and additional duties and minimal if any improvements to ourselves or our patients.

One example of this change is the nutrition-focused physical assessment. This physical assessment is designed to identify malnutrition in our patients. It’s challenging to do as some of us have not been trained in physical assessments and often awkward for ourselves and our patients. While I have gone through multiple training sessions, I often still struggle with this aspect of my job. Additionally, unlike a typical assessment, adding the physical takes 10-20 minutes to assess and chart appropriately. For a dietitian who already has a full day, being told to take on this role is going to be met with reluctance.

We can’t expect our jobs to stay the same over our careers. I don’t know any career where you learn the skills needed to do that position and then coast on your expertise until you reach retirement. Having the ability to adapt to change is not simply an asset but a requirement to maintain your competitive edge in today’s job market.

Putting on a Positive Face

Part of being successful in our careers is knowing when to protest and when to simply make yourself get on board. Much like the boy who cried “Wolf” too many times, we can’t face each proposed change with these attitudes. While we can and should set appropriate limits, we need to make ourselves face these changes with a positive attitude.

Recently, we began collecting data in the hospital for an inter-department study. This study involves a significant amount of work for each member of the team but the study is valuable. It provides valuable information that we can use to promote improved patient care. In light of this knowledge, I really tried to have a more positive approach in our meeting and my coworkers did as well. Although we were a far cry from the military cadets, I think our clinical manager was surprised about our approach.

Final Thoughts

I don’t have the right answer for approaching change in the workplace. I think every proposed change should be evaluated cautiously. In many cases, we need to simply accept them and integrate those changes into our workday. However, if there is a concern for significantly increased workloads, poor patient care, or other negative effects, we should be able to share those concerns. I think if we are able to accept change graciously, then our leadership will be able to take our pushback more graciously.