Do you ever have those days at work when you feel like you’re on a planet that no one else has ever visited? That no matter how hard you try, you can’t make the team understand why you are making a certain decision or recommendation?
Yea, me too.
Sometimes those days turn into weeks. And whew, is THAT challenging. I’ve even put myself in time-out a few times! I’ve taken a self-imposed break from the unit and called a colleague to make sure I hadn’t gone off the deep end with my recommendations. A little clinical-sanity-check-in if you will.
As neonatal therapists, we’re rather used to living in isolation. We don’t always have a colleague at our fingertips with which we can do that clinical-sanity-check-in. So when you have days like that (or weeks!) please remember that part of why NANT was created was to take you out of that isolated place.
Here are 3 ways you can use your NANT membership to move from isolation to collaboration:
- In that frustrating or isolating moment, send us a question for the Inner Circle Mentoring Call. Even if you plan to be on the call live, sometimes it helps to write down your question in the same moment it challenges you. You’ll likely find you aren’t on another planet at all and just may need a little advice or at the very least, healthy camaraderie.
- Post your question on the NANT Professional Support Network Forum to get feedback! Subscribe to your question so you receive a notice each time someone posts a comment. While you’re there, see if there are questions you can answer for your colleagues. Reading through these questions and answers is an education in and of itself. And you’ll realize, you surely aren’t alone in this!
- Participate in the Third Annual NANT Conference! There is no better way to get out of isolation than to discover that there is a whole sea of therapists and like-minded caregivers out there. Hundreds of your colleagues have already signed up.
Networking with your colleagues in this setting is invaluable. And you’ll find you have that one trusted colleague to call in those frustrating moments! Make it the one conference you won’t miss. You will leave there energized and renewed. You’ll remember why it’s all worth it.
Together, we will look back on this time and remember the passion that brought us here, the collaboration that propelled us forward and the clarity that defined the future of our field.
