According to Alton Brown, the process of tempering chocolate is reorganizing the molecules in order to create a cleaner snap, stand better against melting, and have a lovely glossy finish. It requires specific heat, and it requires vigorous mixing.
This isn't the only context that the word comes up. It is also used in the context of forging, treating the steel with heat to help strengthen the material. This helps the finished project to be more consistent, to keep the finished project from having brittle pieces. The process involves high heat, specific cooling techniques, and no small amount of patience.
Intention and heat, all in the goal to alter the final product at the molecular level to add stability, consistency, and strength.
The program has provided foundation, knowledge, resources; my own skillset lends communication skills and some specific experiences. But I require tempering. I need experience in order to solidify into the best nurse I can be, to find and remove the brittle areas before they have a chance to snap under pressure later. Clinicals are meant to help with that. Orientation days are meant to help with this. Working with a mentor is meant to help with this. And yet, spending time with patients and actually performing the job will be what helps temper best, to have practical experiences that vivify the book examples or become that weird situation that I will know how to manage better next time. How will I deal with a racist patient, for example, or a violent one? How will I cope with a patient that wants to leave even though it's against their best interests? Or the family member who makes the hospital stay about them? How will I deal with a peer that does not honor someone's gender identity? Or even to simply command my own "normal" day?
Intentionality, time, and exposure. Patience to manage the heat. Humility to process the data. Directed energy to new growth.
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