Become a Chief Nursing Storytelling Officer: The Power of Nursing Stories!

Every nurse leader has a responsibility to ensure an exemplary work culture. Research shows a strong relationship between exemplary work cultures and workforce recruitment and retention. Bottom line, strong nursing work cultures attract and retain nurses.¹

There are numerous programs and validated standards that, when implemented, may support the design of exemplary work cultures. However, a key component in all programs and evidence-based standards is a method for recognizing and communicating the value of nurses. That ingredient is storytelling.

Why storytelling? Our stories help us recognize others, expand our knowledge base, shape what we think, and transform our behaviors. Stories help us understand our past, identify relevant lessons for the future, and be innovative. Telling stories is a fundamental part of our lives ^{2, 3}.

Even as an adult, I remember hearing stories from family members about their childhood, college, and working lives. Many of those stories were thought provoking, humorous, and sometimes even heartbreaking. I recall in elementary school having to endure the infamous “show and tell” activity.

Do you recall how you felt when you heard those stories and saw the visuals of the ‘show’? Do you remember how the words and the voice inflections of the ‘storyteller’ touched you? Were you able to identify with the pain, sadness, or happiness of the storyteller?

As an adult, I have vivid recollections of hearing family members share humorous, sad, and at times thought provoking stories from their childhood, college, and adult working lives. During my elementary school years, I recall having to endure the infamous ‘show and tell’ activity that most school aged children experienced. BUT do you remember the feelings that were evoked when you heard those stories and saw the visual representations of the ‘show’? Do you recall how the words and the voice inflections of the ‘storyteller’ connected with you? Did you identify with their pain, sadness, and happiness as their words awakened those visceral reactions inside you?

Where to tell our stories? Though there are numerous venues for storytelling. (4) Nurses can share their personal insights during department meetings and other forums that are available such as local, state, and national conferences. While nursing journals do publish qualitative works, there is an added value in audience participants hearing a story. Of course, as professionals we must be responsible and ever mindful of our social etiquette along with the privacy/confidentiality of our patients and will obtain the necessary permissions before sharing information.

What do we have? Nurses have an abundance of “heart tugging, tear generating” stories. Every day we get the opportunity to tell our stories so anyone who hears them will clearly understand our value. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, our stories are not given an adequate voice. What if five million plus nurses⁵ in the United States took on the role of being a chief nursing storytelling officer (CNSO)? Now don’t let the name CNSO deter you, because each day when we interact with each other, our patients and families, and the public we are ‘telling’ our stories and YOU are the CNSO. So, what if all five million nurses would continuously share the positive, funny, thought-provoking, lessons learned stories. The stories that demonstrate the amazing expertise, caring skills, and formidable courage that nurses exhibit with each other, our patients, families, and with those who may not be aware of how nurses impact, change, and sustain the world? Wouldn’t we THEN truly be able to TRANSFORM not only our work cultures but our entire World?

Our nursing stories are powerful AND must be heard! My question to you is: how will you use your chief nursing storytelling officer role?