The “You Good” Mentality

As you step onto a hospital floor, you can get a sense of the culture within the first few seconds.  A friendly smile or wave can show you are welcome, while a side eye and heads down tell you that gut feeling you should have called off was real.  I have worked in units that I couldn’t wait to get away from, and a few that I thought about staying for a long time.  There was something about those units that made a 12-hour shift fly by, even with difficult patients.

The difference is what I like to call the “You Good” mentality.  Every staff member, every time, when walking by another employee would say something like, “Hanging in there?” or “Doing okay?”. My favorite is, “You good?”. Even on a busy day, having someone just check in can make a world of difference. Whether it is a true need for extra hands, vent session, or just a check in, a “you good” makes all the difference on a unit.  The “You Good” mentality shows a sense of togetherness and unity from staff that check in on each other. 

How does a unit achieve this mentality?  A simple check in does not mean stopping what you are doing or putting a huge wrench in your day.  It means that you care about the nurse across the hall.  It means that you want that clinical associate the hall next door to have a successful day.  It means solving problems together to improve patient care.  The culture doesn’t have to take forever to change. In fact, it could change in a day, or a shift!  It takes just by one nurse asking someone else if they all good.