how do you introduce yourself to patients?

[panamama]

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?

[Acampl]

I always say Hi my name is Anne I will be one of your nurses today.

[mstrick1226]

I am a first semester nursing student and am currently taking a summer class on Health Assessment. One of the first things we had to learn was the mnemonic ITHELPSME.

I--Identify (yourself & verify patient identity)

T--Timing (make sure this is the appropriate time for procedure & that you have enough time)

H--Handwashing

E--Explain the procedure to the patient

L--Lighting (should be appropriate)

P--Privacy (ensured by closed door, pulled curtain, etc.)

S--Safety (be aware of patient fall risk, etc.)

M--Mechanics (be aware of proper body mechanics to prevent injury)

E--Equipment (make sure you have everything you need so you don't get stuck in the middle of something and realize you've forgotten some vital item)

In my CNA class, we had to remember each of these steps, but didn't have it in such an easy to remember format. Having been a patient quite a few times, I know that I have hated it when someone in scrubs enters the room and starts asking me questions immediately.

[OR angel]

I always greet my patients with a smile. as appropriate, and introduce myself giving my name and role. I then ask the patient to identify themself to me by asking their name and date of birth. I also ask them how they would like to be addressed. I ask them and their families if they have any questions for me before I bring them to the OR and let them know that I will be telling them everything that I do as I do it.

I had a similar experience as your's myself, when my mom was the patient. It is very disconcerting to not know who to speak to or ask questions of. Who is a nurse and who is a housekeeper?

Aside from the fact that we must remember to be CAREGIVERS, we also have to remember that healthcare in this day and age is a matter of customer satisfaction. Our patients have a choice where to receive their care and they do their homework.

[Mississippi_RN]

I TRY (really, really, really hard) when I make rounds in the morning to say "If you need anything, just push this buttom . My name is Amy and I will be one of your nurses today". I can admit I have been guilty of forgetting to the first round. But I try REALLY hard to do it...

[masstudent]

In reading the different posts I see various abbreviations that I am confused by. What does MA stand for? Is there a list somewhere that I can refer to? I thought about asking people to write the word out the first time and then give the abbreviation but I am sure there are many abbreviations that are standard to most people and not myself so I will have to learn this new alphabet soup. At least the acronyms are probably the same no matter what hospital/school you attend unlike the industry I am currently working in. Thanks.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I always say "I'm Cathy, I'll be your nurse tonight!"

Sometimes when I'm in a really good mood though, I'll walk in the room, say "HI HOW ARE YOU DOING TONIGHT!", start chatting with them, and then actually forget to tell them my name until I'm about to leave the room! Bad, bad me!:trout:

:gandalf:

[nurseman99]

i try always to tell my pts my name,how long i;ll be their nurse and either by callbell[if i;m working in icu],or by phone,[yes,we MUST tell our"customers" our phone #,s on the med/surg floors!] as to how they can reach me.i also ask the pt how they prefer to be called,mr smith,alvin,al or any nickname.

[Ashera, LPN]

Good Morning -

I'm Pamela and I'll be your nurse today...

and I write my name on the board along with the aide, the charge nurse, the floor manager and any other pertinent person that pt will be seeing that day if I know it -

along with the date and day...

[frenchfroggyAPRN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN]

When I make my first rounds, I write the day of the week, month and date plus designate RN with my name and LPN with her name, while I'm talking to the patient and stating " Good morning, my name is X and I'll be your RN today and x will be your LPN today", this gets a smile and most of the time the patient comments that your the only one that writes on that board, thank you.

[Gromit]

While I was in the hospital as a patient, the first hospital (not my own facility -I went to a smaller one first as an emergency heart patient, then on to my own facility a couple of days later (for cardiac cath, etc -the smaller place didn't have that capability) -the smaller place -they had those kinds of memory devices (name, date, on the wall) -my own facility doesn't do that, but when I get back, I intend to talk to the manager about starting it. I found it rather helpful. It just doesn't take long before you have no idea when it is (date), etc. Those "little things" were very helpful and welcome. I must say, it sucks being on the 'receiving end' of healthcare. Much rather be on the other side of the bedrail :)

[hst01]

It's nice to see that we introduce ourselves to our patients :) (I'm still a CNA, but I do introduce myself), but I think that it is interesting that nurses often introduce themselves with their first names only. I saw that some of you are concerned about security issues, and this is why you don't reveal your last names, and that is totally understandable to me. However, I've been reading some of Suzanne Gordon's books lately, and she makes the case that doctors are almost always referred to by their last names. If a doctor is named Ellen Davis, she calls herself Dr. Davis, not Ellen. I have never had a doctor introduce herself/himself to me by her/his first name only. She wonders why nurses don't put their titles in their names, and say "I'm Nurse Anderson," instead of "I'm Patricia." I never really thought about this issue that way before, and I'm wondering if anyone agrees with her point. I can see the security side of the issue, but I can also understand her point that if doctors can put their titles and last name in their introduction, nurses should, as well.

hi! i just graduated from nursing school! so i im kind of nervous about working and how i would do things and if i would be good at my job, even though i think my school of nursing prepared me well, but i felt would like to voice my opinion when i read your post, i think that calling the nurse by her last name would kind of diminish the trust and rapport that the nurse tries to establish with the patient. i think that the nurse-patient relationship is on a totally different level then the Dr-patient relationship and for that reason, calling the nurse by her first name could make the patient feel more secure and befreinded.