placement shock

[bour0245]

I am a first year practical nursing student and just had my first experience in long term care. The reason I joined nursing is because I have this strong urge to want to help people! I was assigned my first patient and the patient didn't even want to talk to me, or have visitors...I found this to be devestating as my first experience with a patient. I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how I should deal with this sort of thing, I found I took it so personally and was upset about it.

[cherilee]

Trust me, you won't have many experiences like this...LOL.

Most people will be more than ecstatic to have someone give them some extra attention that is always so needed.

In ltc they may be a bit more stand offish because they are not used to attention!!

Just keep offering yourself.. you'll have many appreciative patients, Ipromise

[xviii-xxv]

offering ones self and establishing rapport are always the start in building a nurse-pt relationship.some patients (like what u had) are really like that but you know, they wont be brought there if they didn't need help.so, don't take things personally, and be positive.pretty soon you will find your pt's are appreciating you.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

There are plenty of reason why the patient may not have interacted with you. He may have been sick, used to being ignored, pre-occupied with something else, may have noticed that you were tensing up when you didn't get the response you expected, or maybe prefers to be alone. Really, you have to try not to take it so personal, because it is not about you and your need to reach out, it is about his need for quiet (autonomy). He is not obligated to entertain you or to make your nursing education pleasent. I am not saying this to be sarcastic-far from it. But, if you look at it, this came from a need of your own to show that you can interact, and he happened to reject it.

And, you will find in your career that there will be MANY times that you will offer the best you have and it will not be accepted or even appreciated. Some patients will call you every name but the child of God, others will be manipulative, needy, confrontational or combative.

You'll learn the balance as time goes on. And, there will be days that you will be so busy that you may even appreciate a patient that is not demanding of your attention...believe it or not.