Providing workshops for your charge nurses
The workshop should open with an icebreaker activity called “Fear in the Bucket.” This activity entails reading the following statement: “As a charge nurse I am most afraid of…”
Each charge nurse must finish the sentence by writing on a piece of paper and placing their statements into a bucket located at the center of the table.
After all charge nurses have submitted their entries, the buckets get switched with the other tables. The charge nurses then read each other’s statements and discuss the reality of what fears are being experienced by their peers.
The goal of the icebreaker is to have everyone be aware of the fact that they are not alone.
By the end of the workshop, many of their fears—if not all—will either be resolved or lessened to where they can feel more at ease in their role and with the decisions they have to make on any given day.
Along with being an icebreaker, this activity brings about a lot of dialogue and at times laughter amongst the participants.
About the Author: Sarah is an Editorial Assistant in the patient safety group at HCPro, Inc. She contributes to two monthly newsletters; Briefings on the Joint Commission and Briefings on Patient Safety, and manages four e-zines; Accreditation Connection, AHAP Staff Challenge, Nurse Manager Weekly, and Healthcare Training Weekly. She also helps research new products for the patient safety and nursing market. She graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2008 where she earned her bachelor's degree in English.
