Do patients know a "good nurse"?

[NursesRmofun]

This is a subjective question with poll. I am not sure if patients, in general (the average patient), really knows who a good nurse is. I once worked with a very charming woman who was slow and couldn't seem to do much more than get her meds out. She did have a gift for gab and the patients seemed to love it. Plus she knew many from living in the surrounding area much of her life, church, her children, etc. I got all of my meds done, all my assessments, all my bed baths, lotioned and massaged my patients and held their hands...but didn't really gab. Somehow, I think a lot of our recurrent patients and "regulars" would prefer her. I just wonder how many patients would understand that you might be better with the nurse that really did a good assessment and got all the more important things done.

[mathboy]

What are the other reasons for some being impolite?

If you mean a nurse might get angry with a patient (any nurse) and then take it out on another patient...I am not sure what this has to do with whether patients can tell a good nurse from a bad nurse. Maybe you mean that the nurse would lose politeness points for this bad attitude. Well that seems a given. Nurses need to be polite and professional, of course.

[Angeljho, MSN, NP]

What are the other reasons for some being impolite?

Politeness should not be a major reason why a patient views a nurse as a good or bad nurse. Do patients use politeness as a criterion to suggest the quality of their nurse? Of course. But if the impolite nurse is the most competent nurse on the unit, please assign that "good" nurse to me.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

What are the other reasons for some being impolite?

I am just not sure why we are discussing nurses being impolite or rude. It seems that is your criteria for being a good nurse. I am sure reasons for being impolite can vary if a person tends to be impolite.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

Politeness should not be a major reason why a patient views a nurse as a good or bad nurse. Do patients use politeness as a criterion to suggest the quality of their nurse? Of course. But if the impolite nurse is the most competent nurse on the unit, please assign that "good" nurse to me.

I would have to say I'd agree on this. I'd like both polite and competent, but if it's a choice...I'll take competent.

[mathboy]

Its a combination of both Politeness and Proficiency. After all,even though the patient returns to normalcy, he will remember the pleasant or the unpleasant experiences.

Politeness should not be a major reason why a patient views a nurse as a good or bad nurse. Do patients use politeness as a criterion to suggest the quality of their nurse? Of course. But if the impolite nurse is the most competent nurse on the unit, please assign that "good" nurse to me.

[tacomaster]

To answer the original question, I think most patients do know a good nurse when they see one. However, that being said, we will all have that one or two patients in our shift that we cannot please no matter what and will be unsatisfied no matter what you do. I tend to be known for my thoroughness with my assessments and the nurse willing and wanting to call the doctor with updates/changes and to request tests, medications, etc. I often get from my patients statements like, "oh, the other nurses haven't looked at that", "no one has explained this to me", or "thanks for telling me what you are doing". A thorough and responsible nurse will, in my opinion, notice trends, educate, and advocate on the behalf of their patient and worry less about getting their charting done by a certain time (nurses on my unit try to get everything done by 11 so they can have "free time"). I think these are the things patients notice. I also round hourly or every two hours on my patients (who would have thought?) and this has a profound benefit for my patients. I just tell them I'm checking in with them and this reminds them I'm still around and they aren't alone.

[Libby1987]

Are there that many cheery but incompetent nurses to generate this discussion? That many to compare and create whatever this is towards patients too ignorant to know the difference between a good nurse and a poser?

[NOADLS]

A lot of patients couldn't tell the difference between a CNA and a nurse. Patient thinks the nurse is helping them to the toilet. Little did they know the nurse is hiding around the corner playing candycrush

[jwidmer]

Good may be defined in many ways by different people. Is a physician "good" who has a good bedside manner, holds a hand but does not keep abreast of the latest trends and evidence based practices for improved patient outcome? Is a nurse good who talks all the time but misses treatments and meds? Good is a perception - competent, technically sound, knowledgeable - these are words that should be used to evaluate a nurse's clinical practice. Patients define a nurse by how they are treated- emotionally - how does the nurse react and treat his /her family and visitors? Yes, good can be defined in many ways.

[Chacy]

Since I had been working as a nurse, the patients knew what a good nurse is. When I had been responding to a patient who really needed the physical and mental problems on that time, I did an active listener to hear their thought with an important problem. I worked with them as a team what they could or could not do to solve a problem, and they always were weakness in their mind when they have their health problem. I did always to empower them to get through those problems by themselves and independent thought to cope with in each situation.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

To answer the original question, I think most patients do know a good nurse when they see one. However, that being said, we will all have that one or two patients in our shift that we cannot please no matter what and will be unsatisfied no matter what you do. I tend to be known for my thoroughness with my assessments and the nurse willing and wanting to call the doctor with updates/changes and to request tests, medications, etc. I often get from my patients statements like, "oh, the other nurses haven't looked at that", "no one has explained this to me", or "thanks for telling me what you are doing". A thorough and responsible nurse will, in my opinion, notice trends, educate, and advocate on the behalf of their patient and worry less about getting their charting done by a certain time (nurses on my unit try to get everything done by 11 so they can have "free time"). I think these are the things patients notice. I also round hourly or every two hours on my patients (who would have thought?) and this has a profound benefit for my patients. I just tell them I'm checking in with them and this reminds them I'm still around and they aren't alone.

You are a good nurse, from what you write. I would love to have you as my nurse. Seriously. When I was hospitalized....I really did not in approx. 36 hrs., ever really get a proper assessment. However, I do not think all patients know you are supposed to call the doc for changes noted or to order different tests, meds., etc. I seriously think a lot of patients think it is all about bringing their meds. to them, meals, and taking them to the BR...and, yes, troubleshooting the pesky IV too.

[NursesRmofun, ASN, RN]

Since I had been working as a nurse, the patients knew what a good nurse is. When I had been responding to a patient who really needed the physical and mental problems on that time, I did an active listener to hear their thought with an important problem. I worked with them as a team what they could or could not do to solve a problem, and they always were weakness in their mind when they have their health problem. I did always to empower them to get through those problems by themselves and independent thought to cope with in each situation.

I think that it may also somewhat depend on the demographic. I think that I can say that where I once worked, there were a lot more people/patients who could tell a good nurse from a not so good nurse. I think that, in some areas, the patients don't know what to expect. They seriously have no idea what a nurse does besides the obvious v/s and giving meds. Sad but true. And, I can tell you having been a patient, it is scary to think of telling a nurse how to do her job when you are in a vulnerable position such as being the patient instead of the nurse. Even if you are a nurse, you don't want to say, "Hey, can you listen to my lungs? Didn't they teach you to do that in nursing school?" It's kind of like sending food back in a restaurant. You don't want to go there, if you think you can do without it.