i just had minor surgery and it was the first time i've spent any substantial time in a medical setting since beginning to explore nursing as a career. of course, i was much more observant now that i may be making my way to the field myself! i noticed some things and wondered your take on it, as nurses...
the anesthesist (sp?) took me from the waiting area to the op room and asked me all the history questions and took my BP...but never introduced himself. i don't have any idea if he was a doc or nurse (not that it matters)...or even what his name was. in fact, no one introduced themselves and there were 5 people in the room, counting my doc. i found myself wondering who was what? nurse, LPN, CNA, MA, PA, other? they were all very nice and attentive...it was just curious that no one told me their names or roles or anything.
i thought back to the first surgery i ever had and remembered very clearly that not only did each person tell me who and what they were, but they made it a point to tell me what exactly they would be doing as their part of the procedure. of course, i was i think 20 or 21, alone, scared to death (it was an unexpected urgent surgery), and it definitely showed...so maybe they were just trying to make me feel at ease(?).
so nurses...how do you introduce yourself to patients if at all, and does it matter?
when i first get to work and get my assignments i would go down the hall where im assign to to see who are my clients are, if their in their room i do knock, introduce myself and tell them that i will be their aide. and i always will have a huge :)
ALWAYS say "Hi, I'm HappyNurse, and i'll be your nurse til 7pm tonight." also, i write my name and the CNA's name on the whiteboard, along with today's day/date. (after being in hospital awhile the days can run together, i imagine, esp the long term pt's)
I then will explain what to expect of the day, the goals for the day, in brief.
"today we'll be watching your heart monitor, working on your moving around, and keeping those lungs good and open with the coughing/deep breathing and using this breathing machine (the incentive spirometer)"
i try to keep it short at first, i dont want to overwhelm anyone with what hte plan is.
We were taught to introduce ourselves by shaking hands if possible and saying our first AND last name - it's professional and it presents a professional attitude
I am plenty professional, but don't give out my last name unless asked. It is on my badge though.
I usually say "my name is xxx, like the flower" (b/c i have a flower name) to kind of give them something to help remember it.
so nurses...how do you introduce yourself to patients if at all, and does it matter?[/quote]
I worked with alot of "home folk" in a small hospital when I was an aide. Patch Adams is my favorite movie, so I usually said something like, "My name is Cat, and I'll be your main aggravation today!" I always got a smile. We had the white boards too, but had a hard time finding markers!!LOL! I finally bought my own!!
I always smile and intro myself and shake hands. I'm surprised how many pts tell me that I'm the only one that has done that during their stay. Too bad.
I also make use of the whiteboard right down to the list of what we (pt and I) plan on getting done today, with checkoff boxes. Pt's seem to like the boxes.
Even if I am just stepping in to stop an IV pump or other annoying noise in a room, I'll say something like "Hi, I'm Dawn and I'm one of the nurses working today, I heard that noise and thought you might like me to make it stop." Then I let them know what the problem was and that I'm going to tell their primary nurse what the problem was.
Pt's love the end of the noise and I hope they appreciate knowing what it was and that an actual RN made it stop.
I am an LPN ( it is on my name badge). I always introduce myself and tell pts. that I am their nurse. Some will ask my title and some don't I always tell them if they ask.
I'm a grunt CNA, male, 60 years of age. I've been lucky enough to be in this profession 3 years and I recall very vividly what my instructor in school taught me: "Good morning Mr. Smith, my name is Mike and I'll be your CNA today." And then proceed to tell him/her what was on the immediate agenda. The instructor had spent 24 years as DON in the local maternity ward and was of the 'starched white cap' class. She was terrific.
i just had surgery yesterday. i knew all the nurses but the anesthesiologists introduced themselves. when i meet a pt for the first time i always introduce myself.
I always introduce myself .... starting with "Good morning, my name is ..... and I'll be your/your child's nurse today until 7pm, my aide to day is ...... and at this time I would like to be able to look and listen to your child, is that alright with you? (Sometimes the child is sleeping and the parents don't want the child disturbed at that particular time). We also have the white boards and I write my name, the charge nurse name, and the aide's name as well as the day and date. Then I talk with the parents for a few minutes about the tests, etc scheduled for the day, and see how I can help them.
buildingmyfaith57
297 Posts
when i first get to work and get my assignments i would go down the hall where im assign to to see who are my clients are, if their in their room i do knock, introduce myself and tell them that i will be their aide. and i always will have a huge :)