My employer has experienced falling Press Ganey scores and has decided putting nurses through Press Ganey's C3 program is just the way to fix it!
So, today I learned:
There is an easy way to cut off a patient's conversation - Connect, Summarize, Close.
It looks like this:
1. Connect - Make a connection with the patient
2. Summarize - Confirm listening
3. Close - End the conversation
If Ms. Smith in bed 4 is rambling about her flower garden, here's what you can do about it:
1. Connect - "Oh, I love flowers!"
2. Summarize - "It's great that you're able to grow roses and lilies! That sounds like a beautiful combination!"
3. Close - "You're going to have to tell me more about your garden when I come back next hour."
See, it only takes about a minute and a half to learn about the patient, parrot back what they told you, and tell them how interested you are in talking about it again when you come back for hourly rounding!
I also learned that whenever someone is upset, you can come up with an Empathy Statement with a simple formula:
1. Lead in - I hear/I see/It sounds like/It seems like...
2. Acknowledgement of the other person - You/Your family
3. Description of feelings - Anxious/frustrated/nervous....
4. Situation - This part is optional.
So, if Mr. Doe in room 3 is angry because it took a while for someone to come after he pressed the call bell, you can always say: "Mr. Doe, it seems like you are upset that it took a while for your nurse to arrive after you pressed the call bell." This will make you look empathetic and responsive to his problem. Don't forget to use silence therapeutically after you make this statement so he has time to express his feelings.
So, what customer service things have you all had forced down your throats recently? Inquiring minds want to know.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
It depends on how the phrases are used. I routinely have patients who apologize when they soil the bed, or when they ask for something simple like a glass of water. I usually say, "It's no problem at all!" or "It's not at all an issue!" I really don't see how these can come off as insincere. Perhaps if the person simply says, "No problem." and leave it at that, it can seem curt, but as with all communication, one's tone is just as important as the words used.
I'm sixty; I'm guessing you're younger. My generation was taught that the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" or "It was my pleasure." "No problem" is something that sullen teenagers used to say instead of you're welcome, and unfortunately it's come to be more accepted in common usage. To me, as well as to many others of my generation and older, it does not seem polite. With tone, it may seem sincere, but I'd still wonder whether your mother taught you manners.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I love you for this! I've got to add a few of my own:
"This is Betty Bookworm. She is a brilliant nurse, and knows everything there is to know about critical care, but she's so burned out she always gives herself the easiest assignments so she can sit and read all night. The good news is you're healthy if she assigned herself to work with you!"
"This is Sally Studious. She graduates from NP school next month and already has a job lined up, so she has stopped caring about pretty much anything. Don't expect to see her except in dire emergencies."
"This is Penelopy Pretty. She likes to sleep with attendings, so the good news is they will actually answer her call to get something for you if they don't want to be faced with closed legs the next time they see her."
"This is Carol Confused. She doesn't seem to be capable of adding two and two together to get four, but she is very nice so at least you will feel like someone cares about you while you are coding."
I bet that practice stops the first time a male nurse says "It was my pleasure" after sticking a Foley in a female patient.
I'm sixty; I'm guessing you're younger. My generation was taught that the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" or "It was my pleasure." "No problem" is something that sullen teenagers used to say instead of you're welcome, and unfortunately it's come to be more accepted in common usage. To me, as well as to many others of my generation and older, it does not seem polite. With tone, it may seem sincere, but I'd still wonder whether your mother taught you manners.
Lol reading this reminded me of what I had said earlier, about knowing some "older folks" who would wonder who had taught these people their manners.
Then I realized...I AM one of those older folks!! You're a teeny bit older than I am (I'm 59) and I STILL remember hearing "What do you say?" when someone said "Thank you". "No problem" was never an option.
Ruby Vee, BSN
17 Articles; 14,051 Posts
I'm sixty; I'm guessing you're younger. My generation was taught that the correct response to "Thank you" is "You're welcome" or "It was my pleasure." "No problem" is something that sullen teenagers used to say instead of you're welcome, and unfortunately it's come to be more accepted in common usage. To me, as well as to many others of my generation and older, it does not seem polite. With tone, it may seem sincere, but I'd still wonder whether your mother taught you manners.