Comm& Behavior Self Evaluation(1)
Summer 11, 2019
Final Self-Evaluation
NUR 4080 Section OL28 (7886)
Communication and Behavior in Nursing
August 5, 2019
Student Name: Chante Faison
Communication Ability: area of strength (2.5points) needing improvement (2.5 points) in a one paper page. Paper will be check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, format, clarity and legibility. Times New Roman Face Font 12
- Area of strength:
During my Communication and Behavior in Nursing, course, I identified my area of strength and weaknesses. My area of strength consists of having the capability to build a trusting relationship with my patients by using therapeutic communication. A therapeutic nurse-patient relationship is defined as a “helping relationship that is based on mutual trust and respect, the nurturing of faith and hope, being sensitive to self and others, and assisting with the gratification of your patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs through your knowledge and skill” (Pullen, 2010). It is vital to allow patients to speak freely and provide a non-judgmental environment when implementing nursing care. Culturally competent care is the bases for providing quality care. Therefore, it is essential to identify my cultural values in order to communicate with my patients effectively. For example, a patient at the age of twenty-four visited the clinic and was still on her parents’ health insurance; however, since the age of twenty-two, I have lived on my own. I understand that in her culture, she lives at home until she is married and moves out of her parents’ home to live with her husband. Moreover, when a therapeutic relationship is built, and culturally competent care is implemented, the patient is more likely to follow the plain of care.
- Area that needs improving:
My area of weakness is displaying sympathy for my patients instead of empathy. Sympathy has been defined in the healthcare literature as an “emotional reaction of pity toward the misfortune of another, especially those who are perceived as suffering unfairly.” In contrast, empathy has been defined as an “ability to understand and accurately acknowledge the feelings of another, leading to an attuned response from the observer” (Sinclair, 2017). When providing patient care, it is essential to use empathy, such as I am sorry that you are going through this at this time, is there anything I could do for you. The empathetic statement shows that, as a nurse, you understand what the patient is going through. However, expressing to a patient, I know how you are feeling, everything will be okay to make the patient feel better during hospitalization is a sympathetic statement that gives the patient false reassurance and displays pity. It is essential to empower patients while providing care and avoids placing shame or pity on the patient. Nurses should state facts about patient care and offer assistance to help the patient cope with their illness. Empathic statements promote better patient outcomes. Sympathy imposes emotional feelings that a patient may not have about their health.
Reference
Pullen, R. L. (2010, June-May ). Fostering Therapeutic Nurse-Patient Relationship. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy , 8 (3), p. 4. https://journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/Fulltext/2010/05000/Fostering_the apeutic_nurse_patient_relationships.1.aspx
Sinclair, S. B. (2017, May 3). Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion: A grounded theory Study of Palliative Care Patients’ Understanding, Experiences and Preferences. pp. 437-447. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5405806/
