Can you stll take care of your patients?

susanmary · Jan 27, 2001

Hi MiJourney. I know what you mean. There is so much paperwork,and much of it is so redundant. I work on a med-surg floor and really want to spend quality time with my patients, yet there are so many tasks to do. I strive to sit down for a minute or two when I first meet a patient, and I try to sneak in quality time as much as I can. Patients who may be viewed as difficult really are often feeling scared and alone. After establishing a relationship with a patient, I may in certain circumstances ask if I may sit at the foot of the bed and talk. What a privilege it is when a patient is able to unburden themselves. When I'm able to pick up cues from patients and talk about them -- speaking about their life changes, spouses dying, children dying -- those special moments when a patient lets me in to their life keep me going. When that happens, I feel as if I'm treating the whole patient, not just the post-op patient. Funny thing is, when a patient feels that someone listens/cares,they don't ring that buzzer quite so often so I have the time to pop my head in as I walk by. This all takes time, and it's terrible that we have so much "busy work" to do that could/should be eliminated. I wish paperwork could be minimal but,unfortunately with the way the health care system is at present, our paperwork/busy work will continue to increase. I just want to spend time with my patients,and feel frustrated and guilty when busywork does not allow me to do so the way I would like.