What makes your day? A study of the quality of worklife of OR nurses.

From data obtained in this study, the weak or negligible influences on the quality of worklife of OR nurses are: Organizational Structure Leadership, and Organizational Learning. Things that matter to OR nurses and that influence their quality of worklife are: Collaborative Decision-Making, Multiskilled Workers, Change, Organizational Culture, Locus of Control; and the most important influence of all- Teamwork. So, now when the question is asked "What Makes Your Day?" The answer is clear--at the end of the day, it all boils down to the most fundamental of all answers--People! People are involved in collaborative decision-making, multiskilled workers, change, organizational culture, locus of control, and teamwork. These People include the OR nurse, who is involved in collaborative decision-making and all the other items that affect your daily work environment. The people you collaborate with, the people you interact with in the organization, and the people that make up the team--you and everyone around you are responsible for that magic ingredient--Teamwork. What you say, what you do, and how you behave makes all the difference in the daily worklife of your colleagues. Each and every comment and interaction contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of the team. Each and every day from this day forward, remember this--remember how important your role is in building a strong and effective team. At the recent AORN Congress, Joan Rivers shared a favourite saying with us: "The past is history, The future a mystery, Today is a gift from God, that is why it is called the present." Today is all that we really have--let us make the best of each and every day as we continue to respect and value each member of the team. Teamwork--our building block of the future--yours, mine, and every other member of the surgical team. Each member can make an enormous contribution--we only need to believe that the "best is yet to be--the best resides in me". Yes, we can do our part in making our workplace a good one. But we can only do so much. It's time for governments, administrators, and managers to examine the work environment, to identify the kinds of things that motivate nurses to get up in the morning and go to work, and what makes that workplace pleasant enough that they are happy to stay there. We are hearing about nursing shortages across Canada and the United States. Recruitment and retention strategies are returning to hospitals. Besides "sign-on" bonuses, it is time for governments and administrators to examine the culture of the workplace. Questions that must be answered: Are nurses included in decisions made? Do nurses have what they need to work with? Are they given a reasonable workload? Are nurses part of a team that values them and their unique contribution to patient care? In the words of Senator Lucie Pépin (1999): "We must turn our anger first, into passion, then into action. A hostile or unpleasant workplace must not be tolerated!" With confidence we must be assertive as we look to improve our work environment. Yes, we can do our part, but now it is time for the other stakeholders to pay attention!