s a practicing nurse, my main objective can be summarized as the desire to grow as an asset to patients and the collective health care team. With regards to my patients, I strive to provide them with competent, compassionate care while establishing a trusting, honest relationship. However, my commitment as a nurse does not begin and end with my patient. As a health care professional, I believe it is part of our duty to maintain a strong working relationship with every other member of the health care team. In both, the term 'relationship' comes into play. In my practice, I have I identified three strengths that have allowed me to grow as a nurse and become a benefit to both my patients and my team: communication, collaboration, and accountability.
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There are times where I feel perfectly organized and ready to tackle the tasks at hand only to have my painstakingly laid plans thrown aside as a crisis arises. In most cases, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to prevent the crisis. As an experienced nurse, I have a running checklist in my mind. As the primary nurse for a patient assignment, I am accountable for their care. Despite my best efforts to be self-sufficient, it is not always possible to accomplish everything that needs to be done at once. This is where strong communication and collaboration come into play. While communication can simply be used as a tool to obtain and deliver information, I see it as a skill that can enhance both the patient's experience and workplace satisfaction for myself and my team. It is important to remember that communication is not just about the words used. Non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, posture, tone and inflection, and eye contact should be considered when communicating with patients and team members (Blevins, 2016). The way a nurse communicates with a physician should be different from communication with a grieving family member. With excellent communication, collaboration is encouraged. I am not the only person in my ER who has a multitude of tasks to accomplish. A large part of being a good communicator is listening. I try to always keep an ear to the "noise" of the unit. There is always multitudes of staff, patients, and visitors. By listening to my surroundings, I am able to contribute to the unit in small and large ways. Sometimes it is a visitor asking what room a patient is in. Other times, a consulting physician is requesting certain equipment at the bedside. Collaborating with each other and listening to the needs of the unit allows efficient and appropriate care to be provided, even on the busiest of
There are times where I feel perfectly organized and ready to tackle the tasks at hand only to have my painstakingly laid plans thrown aside as a crisis arises. In most cases, there was absolutely nothing anyone could do to prevent the crisis. As an experienced nurse, I have a running checklist in my mind. As the primary nurse for a patient assignment, I am accountable for their care. Despite my best efforts to be self-sufficient, it is not always possible to accomplish everything that needs to be done at once. This is where strong communication and collaboration come into play. While communication can simply be used as a tool to obtain and deliver information, I see it as a skill that can enhance both the patient's experience and workplace satisfaction for myself and my team. It is important to remember that communication is not just about the words used. Non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, posture, tone and inflection, and eye contact should be considered when communicating with patients and team members (Blevins, 2016). The way a nurse communicates with a physician should be different from communication with a grieving family member. With excellent communication, collaboration is encouraged. I am not the only person in my ER who has a multitude of tasks to accomplish. A large part of being a good communicator is listening. I try to always keep an ear to the "noise" of the unit. There is always multitudes of staff, patients, and visitors. By listening to my surroundings, I am able to contribute to the unit in small and large ways. Sometimes it is a visitor asking what room a patient is in. Other times, a consulting physician is requesting certain equipment at the bedside. Collaborating with each other and listening to the needs of the unit allows efficient and appropriate care to be provided, even on the busiest of