Reference no: EM133667091

Question

It is important for a nurse to be able to connect and have an effective relationship with their patient. This allows for the patient to feel comfortable being open, honest, and giving information to the nurse that could be pertinent to their healthcare. The three most important characteristics the nurse can have to build this effective nurse-patient relationship are: genuineness, empathy, and ability to show positive regard. Genuineness is an important trait to embody as a nurse because humans have the ability to sense when someone is being genuine or not. When the feeling of fakeness from another comes across, it disallows the patient to be fully open and genuine with their healthcare team. Empathy is the second trait that is important for a nurse to have. Being able to show empathy to other in their time of pain, need, and most vulnerable moments allows the patient to feel safe, comfortable, and not judged. Thirdly it is important for a nurse to be able to show positive regard for her patients. Having respect and knowing that every person is worthy of being cared for the same as any other person is of utmost importance as a healthcare provider. No person, no matter, age, race, or sexual orientation is more worthy of care than another. I believe that my greatest strength when it comes to therapeutic communication is active listening. I am able to communicate back and forth with the patient and allow them to feel heard and understood. I do this by asking questions for clarification, or to know more about what they are talking about. I try to take an interest and not just blow them off because I am busy. The therapeutic communication trait that I would like to work on is using silence. Sometimes I can get uncomfortable with silence. I feel the need to fill with it with words. I realized that sometimes people need time to think about their answer and how they are truly feeling. This has always been a hard thing for me.