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Should a Nurse have a Mission Statement?

By Beth | April 16, 2008

I’ve been reading a lot of books lately on successful business strategies and the topic of mission statements often comes up.

It got me wondering, can nurses benefit from having a mission statement? Many of you already do, but you don’t even realize it. A mission statement can be derived from your philosophy of nursing. For example, what does being a nurse mean to you? What makes a good nurse? Answer these questions and there is the beginning of your mission statement.

Why Would a Nurse Want a Mission Statement?

Quite simply, because it adds meaning to what you do. This can be a great help, especially to those who are suffering from nurse burnout. If you take a moment to reflect on your mission statement, it could serve as a source of inspiration on those days when you just feel like you are just running around in circles, and not really accomplishing anything.

Here’s an example: As a recovery room nurse I often felt dragged down by all the repetitive, meaningless tasks that I was required to do (charting vitals Q 15 minutes, fetching ginger ale and crackers, removing IVs, etc). What if instead of dwelling on these things, instead I focused on the following mission statement:

For all of my patients, I am going to help them to be in control of their health care process.

This would include:

• Making sure they know when and with whom to schedule a follow-up appointment.
• Making sure they have the proper educational tools; e.g. if they have a nephrostomy tube placed, do they know how to care for it? If they have a pacemaker placed, are they aware of what the settings are, and what these settings mean?
• Do they need copies of their lab values for their personal records?
• Have the doctors answered all of their questions related to the procedure?

Sure, most of these things are part of the job anyway, but if I view them in the context of my mission statement, it might make my job more meaningful, and hence, more satisfying.

If you had to choose a mission statement as a nurse, what would it be?

Topics: Blog |

2 Responses to “Should a Nurse have a Mission Statement?”

1. Jeff Says:
   April 18th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

   This is a great post. I’m not even a nurse, but think it would apply to anyone in a challenging profession. I am thinking about implementing it for myself. Knowing why you are doing something can always make even the smallest task seem important.

2. chris Says:
   April 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am

   A mission statement is a phenomenal idea. I often think of myself in the position of helping others — but what kind of help do they really need? Putting a little thought behind it will help me determine where I can best put my efforts. I work in college health and have realized that this group often needs to be encouraged to be their own health advocates and to understand what that means. Instead of thinking “they paid a fortune to be here, I’d better do this” I’d be doing them a favor if I helped them figure out for themselves how to maintain good health. It’s a big change for me. Thanks, Beth.

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