Presenting as a Nurse!

I highly recommend reading the book "from silence to voice" chapter 3: Presenting yourself as a nurse.

"without a protocol to provide clarity, it is up to individual nurses to convey that informatrion through their appearance, language, and behavior."

1. Introducing yourself? "you can give a firm handshake, introduce yourself with your first and last name, inform the patient or family member that youa re a registered nurse and explain your role in the patient's care." "or, you can say "hello my name is joan. and leave it at that". "being serious and professional is not synonymous with being distant and aloof."

"patient's don't want a friend, they want a nurse with knowledge and skill."

"does intimacy reside in a name and title or does it reside in genuine attentiveness and empathy?"

a patient in this book was quoted at describing a nurse calling her home saying "hi, i'm kim from.." the patient was apalled saying "she is as anonymous as patty from MCI calling to seel me a new phone service."

This book is advocating for nurses to state their last name. It is also advocating the use of using Nurse Smith or Nurse Willard as a title. This would parallel the use of Dr. Smith or Dr. Willard.