Dealing With Negative Feelings

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:nurse:what is the professional way for a nurse or student to handle her/himself when they have negative feelings towards a patient? Or what is the professional way to cope with providing care for a person who you are no longer friends with and both parties have hard feelings for each other?

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My question is "Why would you be giving care to a friend"? In order to establish an objective and helpful therapeutic relationship with a client, nurses cannot approach that relationship like they would if the other person was a friend. Nurses provide care to people they don't like all the time. It's hard but that's how it is. To be therapeutic, we must set aside our judgment of clients and accept them just as they are. If you find a client that you know you just can't good care to, ask a colleague to switch with you.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Hi,

I think this is an important topic and I look forward to reading others responses. First I'd say that I would not accept an assignment of someone that was a friend or former friend.

I can usually find something to like about them. Even if it is just how loved and valued they are by their obnoxious family, lol. There has only been one so far that I really couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, find something positive. This disturbed me because as I nurse I really need to move past this type of thing in order to provide proper care for my patients. The funny thing is that he ended up getting more attention and probably more thorough care from me because I was so sensitive to the fact that I really didn't like him. :)

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

You don't have to like every patient you care for. Just remain professional and provide your best care. As the others have stated, I would not accept an assignment to care for a friend or ex friend.

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I agree, and would explain you have a personal interest in the patient preferring not to be assigned to them.

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I agree with the others. Ask for a different assignment just as you would were they a family member.

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Specializes in psych. rehab nursing, float pool.

I agree with everyone else, I would try and find something I like about a patient, not always easy. Secondly, comflict of interest to take care of family or friend.

I was once assigned the care of a co-worker on a unit I was pulled to. I explained to the charge nurse I worked with this person and felt it was best I not take care of them. Later in the day I did stop in the room , said hi. I also let them know that I turned down taking care of them that day, not as I felt I could not take care of them, but that I felt their privacy was important to them. She thanked me for that.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
You don't have to like every patient you care for. Just remain professional and provide your best care. As the others have stated, I would not accept an assignment to care for a friend or ex friend.

This sums it up nicely! :up:

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