I work in a hospital, and just the other day, I had course to go through some documents which contained the names and descriptions of all the medication a particular patient was given. Before any drug can be administered, it usually has to go through my table and only when I approve will it be given. Well it so happened that on that day, I noticed among the medication a particular drug that i had never heard of or seen. I was in a dilemma. Do I go to my superior and ask about the drug, thereby making a fool of myself if it turns out to be something quite simple? or do I approve it and allow the patient bear the effects if it turns out to be detrimental? It was a case of being between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one hand I had my professional pride and on the other hand, was the life of the unknowing patient. Eventually, I made the best decision in that situation. I decided to ask my immediate superior, and it turned out to be the old name of a common drug.
I not only ensured that the patient got quality care, I also learned something new that day, and whenever I see that drug again, I am in a better position to access it.
Though this happened in a clinical setting, it is very common in workplaces everywhere. As humans, our first impulse upon discovering that we do not know about a particular object, process or event is to act as if we do, and if we eventually act out our ignorance concerning certain topics, it may prove disastrous on the long run.
In my case, it almost cost the life of a patient, and in some cases it may be the difference between turning in a profit or running at a loss.
So if you find yourself in that awkward position of not knowing what to do about a particular work related issue, the following steps are practical and will come in handy in getting back in the loop, while maintaining your ego.
1 Before you take your case to your superiors, it is best to first of all ask among your colleagues about that issue. Someone among you may be in the know and will let you in on the solution. However, if you are not opportuned to have colleagues of your cadre close enough, then a simple Google search on your smartphone may clear up some minor issues. However, for more technical or company specific issues, you must not rely solely on the information you get on Google. For example, for an accountant working in an accounting firm, you might sometimes get stumped about the specific method of book keeping a particular department uses to keep financial records. While Google may give you an idea of the best methods for keeping books generally, it will not as a matter of fact tell you exactly which is suited to your specific department. So you will need to go a step further.
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