Differing views on perioperative prima donnas

AORN Journal,  Nov, 2005  by Ron Nelson,  Donald Winding

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I loved your recent editorial "Dealing with perioperative prima donnas in your OR" (vol 82, August 2005). It is about time that some of these issues came to light, especially since the nursing workforce is aging, and facilities are finding it more difficult to recruit and train replacements.

In my 20 plus years as a perioperative nurse, I have noticed that prima donnas directly affect morale and solid team cohesiveness in the perioperative setting. Prima donnas often are looked on as "favorites," and "indispensable," and they always seem to receive preferential treatment when it comes to scheduling call and holidays. I would go as far as to say that these individuals are responsible for making it difficult to attract new graduates. They reflect the old cliche, "perioperative nurses eat their young." Good managers should recognize and effectively hold these individuals accountable. Often they do not.

RON NELSON

RN, BSN

INVESTIGATOR/SURVEYOR

NEW MEXICO BOARD OF NURSING ALBUQUERQUE

Nurses, as well as other professionals, grow and change throughout their careers. Life circumstances change, goals changes, work environments change, and personal health changes. The job of good managers is to use the resources they are given and build them up, not tear them down. It serves no purpose to label individuals based on symptoms and ignore the root cause of a problem. This only creates distrust and misunderstanding. After all, negative actions yield negative results.

There are many positive approaches to rechanneling the energy and talents of staff members. All begin with good honest communication, not labeling. Much of this communication can be initiated during a yearly performance appraisal. Concerns can be identified by both the manager and the employee, desired training or a change in position can be discussed, and personal problems can be made known for which counseling or help may be available. A model of management based on competency and commitment is a positive approach to evaluating, motivating, and rechanneling valuable human resources.

People act out because something is wrong, and a positive approach to helping them will yield far greater results than will labeling or negative treatment. After all, how do managers feel when they hear that staff members refer to them as "dinosaurs," "management sellouts," "being on the banquet circuit," "coasting until retirement," "afraid to get their hands dirty," or "clinically incompetent and out of touch with today's OR"? These labels are just as damaging as labeling someone a prima donna. Rather than being labeled, managers respond much better when they are asked to explain decisions and are given the opportunity to discuss factors of which staff members may not be aware.

Open communication closes the knowledge gap and creates an atmosphere of understanding, trust, and cooperation. It creates a win-win situation for all. I have been in the OR for 30 years as a staff member and in a variety of management positions, and I have found that positive, honest communication and a nonjudgmental approach wins cooperation.

DONALD WINDING

RN, BSN, CNOR

RN FIRST ASSISTANT

EMPLOYER'S NAME WITHHELD

Editor's note: Please submit all correspondence to AORN Journal, Letters to the Editor, 2170 S Parker Rd, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80231-5711.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
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