Some advice on approaching/communicating with patients..

[destiny2k5]

Last semester (Spring 08) was my first semester of nursing school...everything went well but when it came to my clinical days, i was very timid/shy on approaching patients..and afraid that he or she would not feel confident in me when providing care..the things i need advice on is starting a conversation with patients so that i can establish rapport/trust and develop that student nurse--patient relationship...

i also want to have a good first impression..

what i would usually do on my typical clinical day is to first greet the patient, introduce myself, and ask them how they are feeling...how else can i keep the conversation going?

on the second day, i would still greet them, tell them that i'll be caring for them today, and ask them how they are feeling..what else do i ask..? how can i make a conversation flow smoothly while making the patient feel comfortable and not irritable?

Other than that, of course, i do my head-to-toe assessment..ask them some questions about their health status..and do my interventions...

i really want to improve in my communication skills for this coming fall semester so that i can feel more confident..my preceptor is also there observing me.. we have this self-evaluation by the end of clinicals and i want to show that i perform at my best...

i want patients to love me and feel confident in me when they are under my care...

how do you think i can make this possible?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

If there is nothing to say, then don't talk. This is a job and not about making friends. One of the hardest things for some is to not talk at all. Any questions should always be designed to elicit information to get assessment data, whether it pertains to history, the physical exam or the patient's current hospitalization. Find out what the doctor's plan of care is from them since the doctors don't always write it in their progress notes. Find out if the current plan of care (medical and nursing) is getting carried out. (Remember the nursing process and Step #5-Evaluation and determining if goals and outcomes of nursing problems are being met? this is one way of doing that)

• Why did the doctor admit you to the hospital?
  
• Did the doctor visit you today/yesterday? What did he have to say? Did he say he is going to order more tests? What do you feel about all that?
  
• What do you think might be going on?
  
• What tests got done yesterday?
  
• What have the nurses been doing for you?
  
• Is there anything you need?

Get the idea? It sometimes takes time to learn what kinds of questions to ask, but keep the focus on the patient.

[destiny2k5]

Thanks Daytonite! wow..this was very helpful. it really opened my eyes as to what to focus on when communicating with patients. and you're right..its not about making friends, its about focusing on the patient... :)