In the Field: Nurse Riva Rios explains the importance of mental wellness and cultural competency
Riva Rios is a cardiac critical care nurse based out of Nevada. She talks with us about being a nurse entrepreneur, what cultural competence means to her, and why mental wellness is one of the biggest challenges facing nurses.
Riva Rios RN BSN CCRN FNP-S, @the_code_team on IG
Q: TRUE or FALSE “Nurses eat their young.”
A: This is a topic I actually have done extensive research on. Unfortunately, the adage of "nurses eat their young" actually is true within the context of nursing culture and evidence. Horizontal violence is escalating in our nursing profession. Over 80% of new grads surveyed stated they experienced bullying within the first six months of their job and many resolve to leave that job within a year!
I experienced it as a new grad in Cardiac ICU and it was so awful. Now that my passion is advocating for nurses and their mental health, this topic is a huge one for me!! We have a moral and ethical obligation to ourselves and our colleagues to change this before it becomes culture. We can only do that if we strive to protect nurses, change our working conditions, and support one another.
Q: What is your specialty and where are you based?
A: I am a critical care nurse, primarily a cardiac specialty. I also work ED. I live in Northern Nevada. I work in both California and Nevada. I do critical care education, training, nursing leadership and am the founder of the Code Team.
Q: What does cultural competence mean for healthcare providers?
A: Cultural competence is not just understanding what is in your textbooks, it is learning the personal and poignant stories of the lives of people in communities and cultures that are not your own. It is a mindset of being curious, respectful, and engaged with your colleagues and patient populations as you allow them to tell you who they are and why. The beauty in learning so much about others is that it is the clearest window to learning about yourself.
Q: What is your experience with nurse unions?
A: I don't have much. I have seen that the hospitals that have them, seemed to have better protection for their nurses, at least in California. Here in Nevada they are blocked both politically and corporately for the most part.
Q: What would you say is the single biggest challenge nurses face today?
A: I would say it is protecting and healing themselves. Nursing today fights battles that we never dreamed of nor could we ever have envisioned. Each day I am in awe of and amazed by the sheer persistence and strength of my colleagues. However, the feats that we accomplish as nurses are often at the sacrifice of our own mental health and physical well-being. I cannot describe to you the passion I have for helping nurses protect and heal themselves.
We hear all the time about nursing being the most trusted profession, that nurses are angels etc. People honestly mean well but they have zero clue just how heroic and awe-inspiring nurses are. Those moments in time between nurse and patient, whether it is saving a life, protecting the right to dignity when dying, or changing a life path... may be seconds, yet the nurse is shifting the course of things on an epic level of impact.
These moments are too often born by a nurse who is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted and hurting. Yet they show up. That's why nurses need all the support they can get to face the challenge of taking care of themselves in an environment designed to deplete them completely.