How to Ask for Help (Nursing)

00:00 Airline safety tells us that if a plane is going down and oxygen masks are necessary, you must put on your own mask before assisting others.

00:13 Why? Because if you cannot breathe then you will not be helpful to those around you.

00:21 The same concept applies in your work.

00:24 This brings me to another important aspect of communication.

00:29 You need to recognize when to ask for help.

00:34 First, understand that you cannot do everything yourself.

00:41 If you are going to do or achieve something bigger than yourself, then you will have to include more people than yourself.

00:50 In fact, if you can achieve your dreams all on your own, then you are probably not dreaming big enough.

00:57 When you are providing healthcare and you have questions, you are confused, overwhelmed, or frustrated, lean on your team to help.

01:08 Listen to your body, listen to yourself, recognize when it is time to ask for help.

01:17 This does not mean relying on the team to do your job.

01:21 It means relying on them to help you be successful.

01:27 Situations where you might ask for help could be with a full patient load, a question about the course of care, or a challenge with a physical task such as moving a person.

01:42 When you do ask for help, I want you to consider the urgency of your request.

01:49 Ask for help by communicating the scope and the timelines of your request.

01:55 This could look like this..."Hey, do you have a few minutes in the next hour? I'm having some trouble with this." or "Could you help me with this later today?" If the question or challenge is non-urgent and if you can possibly predict what the challenge might be such as moving a person, then try to be proactive in asking for help and creating more bandwidth for your team to prioritize their day to help with your request.

02:30 If a matter is more urgent, then communicate that as well. Note that not everything is urgent.

02:39 Sometimes, you might have even 15, 20 minutes leeway for your team to organize and come to help.

02:49 When asking for help specifically, give the scope of your request and the timeline of your request.

02:57 Be clear in your request for help. If you have a question or are seeking clarification, help the person to understand the context in a clear manner.

03:11 Prepare your question in a way that quickly gives a synopsis of the situation, the area of confusion and the question for action.

03:22 After this quick synopsis, I want you to explain what you have already tried, what your thought process is.

03:31 Let the person know the initiatives you took before you called for help.

03:38 This will give the helper more context to not only give you the answer, but also better guide you to find the answer in the future.

03:49 After you have received help, say thank you.

03:54 This sounds way too simple, but is too often forgotten.

03:59 Manners matter. Recognition is important.

04:04 A person is significantly more likely to help you again if they feel appreciated for taking extra time out of their day to help you develop as a healthcare professional.

04:16 Say thank you. Also, make yourself available for help.

04:24 Be available to support the entire team that has ownership of the patient care.

04:31 Ask how you can be of help and try to prioritize your team to be available for your team.

04:39 You can't do it all yourself. This is important so I will say it again, you cannot do it all yourself.

04:51 Asking for help makes you a better healthcare professional and will empower you to provide more excellent patient care.

05:01 So, how can I help you today?