Nurses have a tough job. It’s understandably stressful to care for the wide range of patients who cross their paths as well as deal with the bureaucracy of the world of medicine. Like many care-giver professionals, these amazing people are susceptible to Adultitis.
Jason wrote a helpful article in Scrubs magazine outlining ways for nurses to treat the Adultitis in their lives.
Be curious.
It’s important to keep a childlike curiosity burning within you. The best nurses are the most curious ones. You may have heard the saying “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Asking your patient thoughtful questions—and not just the ones like “Does it hurt when I do this?”—is a great way to communicate caring. I’m not saying you have to put on a Barbara Walters special, especially when you have a heavy patient load. But sprinkling in a few curiosity-inspired questions (Who’s your hero? When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? What was your favorite toy?) goes a long way toward making the patient feel like she’s not just a number.
Read more of this insightful article and share it with the nurses in your life.