Today I recognized the importance of the RN role when I had to help calm my patient down before his procedure. My Chronic Illness Clinical is located at the Louisville Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. My classmates, Instructor, and I are on a Med-Surg floor from 0700-1600. One of my classmates and I were assigned a patient who was admitted for a suspected common bile duct obstruction. Our patient was schedule to have an Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography (ERCP) later in the afternoon. He did not have any family members with him, and he was very nervous and scared for the procedure.
When we first approached our patient to get his 0800 vital signs, I could tell that he was very anxious about something. After talking to him for a little bit, I realized that he was not really sure of what the procedure entailed. He asked …show more content…
The patient thanked me several times. I asked him why he kept thanking me, and he stated, “You don’t realize how much talking to you meant to me.” He went on to explain that I had helped calm his nerves. He said that he had felt very lonely the past few days, because his family lives out of state. Being all alone made him feel uncomfortable, because he did not have anyone to talk to. I never realized how such a simple gesture could mean so much to someone. From this experience, I have learned that therapeutic communication is very important. Therapeutic communication helps instill a trusting relationship between a nurse and their patients. This situation made me feel very appreciated. Whenever a patient is worried or upset about something, I will always remember to sit down and just talk to them. Communication plays an important role in providing safe patient-centered care. When looking back on the situation, I never thought about how the patient was lonely because he had no one to talk to. He became very anxious and worried, because he did not have a support system with
When we first approached our patient to get his 0800 vital signs, I could tell that he was very anxious about something. After talking to him for a little bit, I realized that he was not really sure of what the procedure entailed. He asked …show more content…
The patient thanked me several times. I asked him why he kept thanking me, and he stated, “You don’t realize how much talking to you meant to me.” He went on to explain that I had helped calm his nerves. He said that he had felt very lonely the past few days, because his family lives out of state. Being all alone made him feel uncomfortable, because he did not have anyone to talk to. I never realized how such a simple gesture could mean so much to someone. From this experience, I have learned that therapeutic communication is very important. Therapeutic communication helps instill a trusting relationship between a nurse and their patients. This situation made me feel very appreciated. Whenever a patient is worried or upset about something, I will always remember to sit down and just talk to them. Communication plays an important role in providing safe patient-centered care. When looking back on the situation, I never thought about how the patient was lonely because he had no one to talk to. He became very anxious and worried, because he did not have a support system with