Beginning
Another Year in College Health:
My Back to School List of Reminders
By Carol J. Mulvihill, RN-C, Editor of CQ,and
Director of Health Services, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford,
cjm6+@pitt.edu
As I begin my 23rd year in college health at
the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, I reflect on the things
that are so
important in this business of caring for students. Whether students are
new or returning, young or old, nice or not so nice, I remind myself that
they are the reason I am here.
Here's my "back to school" list of reminders:
- Wear a Smile
-
A sincere smile and a welcoming
attitude work wonders in meeting and greeting new freshmen and upper
class students as well. Conveying an approachable, caring image for the
health service is important. Although this is an ongoing process, I
make a special effort at the beginning of each year to establish
credibility with the new students. My mother told me that you
only get one chance to make a good first impression.
-
Keep the Antennae Up
-
Particularly at the beginning of a new school year, I try to "keep my
antennae up," to be sensitive particularly to the needs of new students.
Attention to
non-verbals... the student's facial expression and body language... may be
more revealing than the verbalized reason for the visit. Both are
noteworthy. I remind myself to be sensitive and to listen to the
whole person, not just to their
words.
-
Be Friendly Yet Professional
-
Friendly professionalism is the image that I strive to convey. College
health professionals take particular pride in their ability to
do this well. But it can only be done by
caring staff, who
remember who they are and why they are there. Some students become our
"friends," but I remind myself that I am first a professional. I don't
think it is appropriate for staff to use vulgar language or to
engage in gossip about faculty or staff in order to relate to
students "on their level." I feel a responsibility to initiate another
level
of discourse, by friendly yet professional
conversation and
interaction with students...both inside and outside the health center.
-
Don't forget kindness and patience
-
I remind myself to always be kind and patient ...when students are quiet
and don't speak
up, as well as when they are rude and outspoken. It's easy to be nice to
people when they are courteous. The real test of our professionalism comes
when students are less than courteous. I have yet to meet a seventeen
or eighteen year old who demonstrates perfection in their relational
skills. I don't even know a 40
year old professional who doesn't make
mistakes in this department! So I remind myself to cut students...and
staff... some
slack. (Faculty are a different story...ha!ha! just kidding!) I make an
effort to be tolerant and forgiving, and guard against getting
peaved by the little irritating things when they occur. Nurturing a
healthy sense of humor helps me take things in stride. "Like water off a
duck's back," is a good slogan for me to remember. I'm going to write it
on a stick-up note with a smile face underneath.
-
Get Enough Sleep
-
My fatigue must not become my patient's problem. The first
few weeks back after being off most of the summer can be a real adjustment
for me. I've got to discipline myself to get the sleep and nutrition I
need for
optimum functioning. This is easier said than done, and it is probably
my biggest pitfall. I admit that I run a lot better on a full tank of
...sleep!
-
Slow Down and Handle Stress
-
When I feel stressed or pressured because
students are three-deep in the waiting room and I still have 10 charts to
do, and the noise from
the corridor and office next door are distracting, I must remind myself
that I have no excuse for acting hurried, hectic, or busy, and that each
student still deserves the best that I can give...whether they are the
first or the tenth patient of the day. And I can do it ... one student at a
time.
-
Savor the Positive
-
Beginning this year, at the end of each
day, I will bring to
mind the good things that happened, and spend more time pondering the
positive and
less time focusing on and rehashing the negative things. Maybe I can give my
perfectionist tendencies a rest!
-
Develop An Attitude of Gratitude
- Working in a
college health is a very
gratifying and often challenging experience. Working with students is
certainly
never boring. Sometimes it is demanding and frustrating.
But the negative experiences are few and far between when considered within
the greater context of a college health career. Always, to me, the
caring is a calling. I'm resolved to
respond rather than react to it. I'm
thankful for the opportunity to work in such a wonderful profession, and
once again
I pray for the strength to meet the challenges as I start my 23rd
year in college health at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Return to the list of articles in the
Fall
1996 Issue of CQ.