The Power of Passionate Care

Erica McNary

Nurses are the most visible care providers in a hospital. They are usually the first caregiver a patient sees upon admission, the caregiver patients encounter most during their hospital stay, and the last caregiver a patient sees at discharge. Nurses are trusted, nurses are visible, nurses are the ones getting things done for their patients. They worry about their patients after their shift has ended and they go home evaluating their care, wondering if they did all they could for their patients that day.

A healthcare facility thrives on the hard work of nurses. The constant forward momentum of a hospital is propelled by:

Nursing assessment
Nursing prioritization
Compassion of care

Assessment

It is a nurse’s detailed assessment and their input to the care team that shapes the plan of care for a patient’s day. Whether a nurse starts with a formal head-to-toe nursing assessment or an informal once-over of a patient’s surroundings, their assessment begins when they enter a patient’s space.

Their assessments are a large part of what the care team uses to ensure patients receive the exact care they need when they need it. This is the nursing process at its finest! A nurse is continuously using their skills of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation they learned as the foundation of their schooling. During every shift, nurses rely on the processes that make them experts in the field of nursing.

Prioritization

Nursing school begins with learning the ins and outs of prioritizing a single patient and shifts to prioritizing multiple patients' toward the end of school and into their career. The better a nurse is at prioritization, the better the patient’s outcome.

Dr. Cody Legler, Adjunct Nursing Faculty at Marymount University states, “For a long-time, nurses have been at the forefront and center of patient care delivery. In both direct and indirect patient care roles, nurses function across hospitals and institutions in a wide variety of capacities. Nurses provide the unique contribution of not only clinical expertise but patient and family emotional support systems. As has been seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses continue to be at the bedside with great resilience, dedication and flexibility.

Nurses on the front-line of family practice will need to expand their skill sets in caring for patients with more complex health issues and change how they integrate treatments and manage care.”

Compassion

Nurses are drawn to a career of providing care out of compassion. They are driven by their need to guide a patient and their family through their healthcare experience. Whether a patient is experiencing a traumatic event, a new diagnosis, or routine care, a nurse is prepared to provide support. Although a nurse’s compassion can lead them down the road of compassion fatigue and burnout, this is an invaluable skill needed for providing the type of care everybody wants for their loved ones.

Dr. Legler mentions that “Nurses, like many healthcare providers, often experience compassion fatigue. Frequently, nurses extend their expertise and commitment beyond their job, taking a sense of responsibility and dedication to personal life at home. Nurses need to be reminded frequently to take time out and care for themselves so that they can continue to be healthy in order to care for others. Caregiver support programs, dedicated space for respite and supporting work-life balance, are several mechanisms in which employers can mitigate compassion fatigue for nurses.”

Nurses are the lifeblood of the hospital. They do amazing things within the scope of their practice and go above and beyond the call of duty in so many ways. They master clinical skills within the scope of their practice. They safeguard the dignity of every patient they care for. Nurses understand when their patients are in pain or afraid. They comfort them if they are lonely or sad. They support patients' family members and help them understand the complexities of a loved one’s illness. Nurses are infection control warriors and amazing advocates for their patients.

Patients and families trust nurses. For eighteen years, nursing has ranked as the most honest profession. This is because a nurse doesn’t just provide patient care during their shift, but they take the time to build relationships. Not only with patients, but with other healthcare providers, and the patient’s family members. At the heart of a good nurse lies a person who is driven by compassion and fueled by a desire to make a difference.

References

The True Nursing Epidemic: Getting Nurses to Stay at the Bedside

Nurses are the Most Trusted Profession

Dr. Cody D. Legler, DNP, APRN, NP-BC, RN-BC, NEA-BC, CNL, is an Adjunct Nursing Faculty at the Malek School of Health Professions from Marymount University which offers online MSN-FNP and DNP-FNP degree program.

The Power of Passionate Care

Assessment

Prioritization

Compassion

About Erica McNary

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