Making the Most of Clinicals Part 3: Building a Good Rapport With Patients

nursefrances, BSN, RN

Having good social skills is crucial when working in a field like nursing where a large part of your day is caring for and communicating with people. It is important to develop positive social skills so that it will be easier to succeed with your goal of becoming a good nurse. It is my goal in this article to assist you, the nursing student, to be perceptive to the patient's needs and feelings and to treat them with dignity and respect. We will discuss ways of developing a good rapport with your patient at the beginning of your clinical day. You will be surprised at how much easier your day may be when this is done.

Have you ever been to a drive through window or at a restaurant and had an employee with poor social skills "help" you?

They didn't make eye contact or may have been rude. It was obvious they didn't care. In the back of your mind, you wonder if they might have spit in your food.

How did this make you feel?

Was this a pleasant experience?

Did it make you feel welcome or want to return to the establishment to be treated poorly again?

Of course not, no one wants to be treated poorly. Now put this into the perspective of a sick patient. They don't feel well and now they are being "cared for" by someone who doesn't really seem to care. In my opinion, this is not a therapeutic atmosphere for a patient.

Working with people can be very interesting because we are all different. We respond differently in how we are treated and how we learn and retain information.

This is where your social skill building will come into play.

As you work with patients you will learn how to interact with different types of patients (this also applies to a patient's family). Some patients may fit into neat little categories: the nice patient, the grumpy, stubborn patient, the scared/fearing the unknown patient, the patient who wants to be listened to, the needy patient. Some patients are all the above. I could go on and on.

I have noticed that if a patient feels that you really care and you are there to advocate for them they will be more receptive to you. When you first meet the patient, it is important to make good eye contact with them, use positive body language (they are more perceptive then you think).

Make it obvious that you care and that you are there for them. If the patient is on pain medications (using a post-op patient as an example) make sure and discuss a plan for the day and discuss how you will try to control the patient's pain. Doing these things will show the patient that you care. As you work with patients you will get better at interacting with them. Remember that they are people just like you, going back to my bad service at a restaurant example.

Put yourself in the patient's shoes.

Do you want bad service, or good service?

The answer is obvious, we want to be provided with good service. Showing a patient dignity and respect is the key.

Making the most of Clinicals Part 1: Turn negative experiences into positive learning

Making the most of Clinicals Part 2: You're on stage-Make a good first impression