Nursing Tip #6: Patients are NOT just ‘patients’

During my placement at the hospice this year, I learned something that I think will stay with me for the rest of my nursing practice.  During my first day there, I was told that they don’t use the word patient, but instead use the word individual to describe people who access the services there.  The word patient so much connected to the hospital and curative/medical methods where as the word individual is completely neutral and allows the space to acknowledge them as a person or being who is living/experiencing at that moment in time.  It was something so small but was totally appropriate and made a huge difference.  I thought it was a good way to remind ourselves that there are other factors in other’s lives, that we may not know about or consider to take into account, to have an influence on our health (think about Social Determinants of Health).  It was refreshing and inspiring to see the whole staff carry vision in mind through their practice, especially when I sat in on rounds and never heard the word “patient” or “client” once throughout the semester (no exaggeration).  It definitely is a place I see myself working in years from now *hint hint*. :)  

It is important to understand that the individuals under our care are going through more than what we see them go through.  They have lives, they have everyday problems that we all have and this video does an excellent job showing this.  Warning: it is pretty heart wrenching.       

Nursing Tip #5: Always find time to educate patients.

Every patient has the right to know what is going on with their body and the right to choose what to do with it.  This includes things such as knowing about alternative options for treatment, the risks attached with treatments and the proper way to use medical devices.  Don’t let your patients end up like the one in the gifs.  Need I say more.

(Source: nenyc)

Everyday events at the hospital are dynamic.  One second your patient is okay, the next you are calling a code blue.  An appointment with the ultrasound clinic may be arranged for patient in the morning, however that may be cancelled and changed due to another patient emergency on another unit.  It’s always changing.  

Sometimes your plans for the day, never end up going the way they are suppose to.  So if that happens, don’t freak.  Just stop, breath and figure out a plan B.

Learn to accept mistakes and changes.

thedailywhat:

Morning Fluff: Yakini, a newborn baby gorilla at the Melbourne Zoo, is no fan of a cold stethoscope.

Full disclosure: These pics were taken in 1999. Yakini now is fully grown.

[reddit]

Nursing Tip #3: Warm up your stethoscope before placing it on your patients.

Your patients may not react as well as this baby gorilla.  If they are already really agitated from previous events during the day or are in a lot of pain, you may get yelled at.  It’s pretty embarrassing when a patient yells at you with another patient and your nurse nearby.  Just trust me.  It’s happened before.

“Oh, looks like someone needs to lose weight.”

“If you are obese now, you’ll basically be obese forever”

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5000 points if you guess my DOCTOR.

Yes, that’s right.  I went in for a regular physical and according to my BMI, I’m class I obese.  Now being 5 feet tall, I can see how since I’m not exactly the skinniest person on the block.  I enjoy my curvaceousness.  

I’ve been getting regular exercise and I’m making more health conscious meal choices.  I’ve been slowly losing weight over the past year because of these lifestyle changes.  Yes, I would LIKE to lose weight but I’m happy with how my body looks.  I’m not morbidly obese but still….Those words hurt.

Now, to defend my doctor, I’m sure she meant well.  She just said it in the wrong way.  She’s really nice I swear.  As for the “being obese forever” thing, I think she meant health problems stemming from obesity. 

But take this as a lesson and don’t say things on a whim.  You can easily offend patients without knowing it.  

Nursing Tip #1: Avoid saying the phrase “Everything is going to be all right” or something along those lines, especially if you know things will not be getting better. Patients and their families are very vulnerable during these times.  The last thing you want to do is unintentionally give out false hope.  

(Source: spacejard)