How would I provide emotional support?

[G_Lee17]

Hello,

I am just a high school student, but I have been lurking on these forums for a couple of days. I apologize if this is not the correct placement for this thread.

I am really interested in becoming an RN. Why?

I want to take care of and help people. I like learning and progressing in an area, and I have always been interested in medicine.

I read on here that you should ask yourself that if nursing was a minimum wage job, would you still want to do it? Yes. I would still want to do it. I would still want to help people get better. I would want to be in a field that had so many different opportunities and different things to learn.

My problem is that I'm not a very emotional person. I would definitely care about patients. It's just that I'm not largely empathetic. I'm bad at comforting people verbally.

If any of you are familiar with the MBTI test, I'm an INTJ, and the T in my personality is extremely strong. I prefer logic over feeling, which does not help the whole empathetic situation. I want to be better at comforting people.

The reason I'm writing this now is because I want to decide what I want to do before I finish high school.

I would be afraid of becoming a nurse because I couldn't comfort people properly or provide enough emotional support. How could I get better at it?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Welcome to AN! The largest online nursing community!!

Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of this comes with experience and age. There are many areas of nursing that don't "require" you to be "warm and fuzzy". Nursing is hard work but I have loved it for 34 years.

I wish you the best!!!!

thread moved for improved response.

[G_Lee17]

Which areas don't "require" you to be "warm and fuzzy"?

I imagine that all areas of nursing require you to have contact with patients.

[old_dude]

Since you are still in HS, I recommend taking drama classes in college or even just participating in drama activity. Drama has really helped me to come out of my shell, and to "fake it" when I don't exactly feel sociable.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I had my Myers-Briggs done professionally a few years ago -- and I also came out as an INTJ. I've been a nurse for 35 years.

But as the "ole_dude" above said ... Sometimes, you just have to fake it.

As you go through school, you will learn communication techniques, helpful words to say, etc. You don't always have to "feel it deeply inside" -- you just have to do it -- and sometimes, that means pretending or acting as if you "feel it."

I don't mean to say that I am uncaring -- or that you aren't caring, either. I'm just not real warm and fuzzy. I have learned to show my caring by helping people in concrete ways that provide them with the assistance they need. I focus on meeting their needs, not on how I feel about it. It's worked for 35 years.

[old_dude]

I had my Myers-Briggs done professionally a few years ago -- and I also came out as an INTJ. I've been a nurse for 35 years.

But as the "ole_dude" above said ... Sometimes, you just have to fake it.

As you go through school, you will learn communication techniques, helpful words to say, etc. You don't always have to "feel it deeply inside" -- you just have to do it -- and sometimes, that means pretending or acting as if you "feel it."

I don't mean to say that I am uncaring -- or that you aren't caring, either. I'm just not real warm and fuzzy. I have learned to show my caring by helping people in concrete ways that provide them with the assistance they need. I focus on meeting their needs, not on how I feel about it. It's worked for 35 years.

Exactly! You can't really fake caring (which is why I put "fake it" in quotes) I genuinely care for people, which is why I am going into nursing. But you can roll play being outgoing and "warm and fuzzy".

(INTJ here too)

[llg, PhD, RN]

Exactly! You can't really fake caring (which is why I put "fake it" in quotes) I genuinely care for people, which is why I am going into nursing. But you can roll play being outgoing and "warm and fuzzy".

(INTJ here too)

Maybe we should start a club. Our symbol can be something the opposite of warm and fuzzy -- like a rock -- or diamond -- something stable and strong that holds up well under pressure.

:)

[abaloney77]

I'm an INTP and am just finishing up my first semester. I was sort of worried about the same thing, G_Lee, but when I saw my first patient lying in bed TOTALLY helpless, that fear was pushed aside and I focused on helping my patient any way that I could.

I AM THE WORST at comforting people verbally, I never know what to say. Guess what, people don't want a speech when they're feeling bad, they want you to acknowledge their pain, ask how they're feeling, and they want you to LISTEN to what they have to say (pay attention to this extroverts).

You can help by simply asking how you can help to make them feel better. It doesn't have to get mushy and deep. Chances are they're introverts as well and want to be left alone, like we do.

Go be a CNA before nursing school for a while to see how you like it. I'm sure you'll be just fine.

[Llawver]

Well the fact that you said you "like helping people" shows that you do have empathy. Maybe you are just unsure of yourself and nervous how you would react in a situation? That is completely normal. There are a lot of different ways to comfort patients that don't require you to be outgoing. The best thing is listening to what they say, and letting them know you are there for them. ie "What can I do to help?" You'll run into a lot of patients that don't want bothered because they are feeling too sick, and most of them do not like to be touched or coddled so to speak. It sounds to me like you want to go into nursing for the right reasons and your just a little nervous about it. If it's something you really want to do try it. Once you do a few clincials you'll know if it's for your or not....and if it's not that's ok.