Jade Brindley qualified as an RVN in 2022. She has previous experience in her career in psychiatric care and after completing her Masters in Management, worked as a lead on transformation programmes in health and social care for local government across the UK. Passionate about all things healthcare and wanting to include animals in her drive for healthcare improvement, she changed careers to Veterinary Nursing. Following a year on the BVNA Council representing students, she combined her passion for traveling and healthcare by completing two internships in South America in a Charity Veterinary Clinic on the Galapagos Islands and in another clinic in the Bolivian jungle with trafficked animals. She has keen interests in OneHealth, human-animal relationships, service access and pathway redesign, and welfare policy.

Sometimes, the most empowering thing we can do for ourselves is to ask for help. Here, Jade explores how we can seek support in the healthcare environment, and also how to overcome some of the barriers which could be in place – either those imposed by ourselves or the environment we’re in.

What is empowerment?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, empowerment is “the act of giving somebody more control” or “giving somebody the power or authority to do something”. However, the word “giving” indicates that empowerment is solely dependent on others. We may not be able to control how others are (which is a good thing!) but we can determine how we are and control what we do. This means that we should be able to also empower ourselves. One such way we can feel empowered is by being able to ask for help and support when we need it.

Asking for help and support in healthcare

Asking for help and support is vital in healthcare as patient care is determined by team work. Some key things to consider to help you feel empowered when asking are:

• Who you are asking – Sometimes it is easier to ask for help with those who are either at colleague level or your line manager. They often have more time and are able to resolve things faster than those higher up in the organisation. However, everyone should be able to ask everyone for help and support and this can come from anybody you work with.
• When you are asking – Timing can help with these conversations. During an extremely busy shift or at the end of a very long day may not be ideal times to ask for help and support. However, it may always be busy at your place of work and so difficult to find opportunities. It may be useful to say “I would really like your input on some help I need with something, when would be the best time to have a chat about this?” then the person you are asking can make space for when is good for them and it takes the pressure off of you to be on the constant look out for someone to be free.
• How you are asking – Tone, verbal language and body language can all aid any conversation. Try to remember that it is your right to be able to ask for help and think about how you would feel if someone was to ask you for help. Most likely, you would want to help them if you could and so worth remembering if you can feel guilty for asking.
• What channels you are using to ask – Some people feel more empowered by asking via written channels, this may also be useful if you feel it should be documented as evidence, but also if you want to be able to make sure you have included everything you want to ask and be able to process what someone says in their response.

Barriers to asking for help and support 

If someone feels disempowered, they may not be able to ask for help and support which could result in mistakes made in healthcare provision and in worst cases patient death. One such case was Elaine Bromiley when her airway was obstructed. The doctors in the team tried for 20 minutes to get an E.T tube into Elaine, but she unfortunately suffered serious hypoxic brain damage during this time and 13 days later her life support was switched off. A nurse had recognised the patient would require a tracheostomy at the time and had placed the tracheostomy kit near the doctors to use, but because she had not felt able to speak up about it, the kit was ignored and not used in time.

So whilst we do not have to rely on people giving us empowerment, we can only be empowered in an environment which permits empowerment.

What to do if you cannot find the power to ask for help and support

• Have a think about what works for you in the way you ask for help and support
• If you are unable or it is out of their remit to ask for help and support from your colleagues, you may want to speak to your line manager. If you are unable to speak to your line manager, you may want to go to someone higher up in the organisation
• Try to see if you can talk to family and friends outside of work to gain an alternative perspective
• Sometimes you can ask for help and support outside of the organisation such as charities like VetLife if you are struggling at work.
• If help and support is required for mental health issues, then contact your local GP to see if healthcare provisions may be required.

A good reminder to tell yourself and others

You are an awesome Veterinary Nurse. You have chosen a job that helps animals, often in their time of need. It can be difficult to feel empowered when asking for help and support as you may feel you are a burden on others, but when was the last time someone asked you for help and you thought of them as a burden? By asking for help and support, you will not only help yourself, but you will also help others and your patients too. It could save a life.

Thank you, Jade, for sharing what Empowerment means to you.

You can find out more about how you can get involved in #VNAM2023 here.