my workshop for nurses

I'm not a nurse, but in the last 2 years I've had to deal with so many of them (as a patient) that I think they could learn a lot from a patient's perspective. My workshop for nurses in the field and nurses-in-training would be an overview of these lessons:

If you hate your job, your co-workers, your hospital, the doctors and the patients annoy you, please, please find another line of work. Or at the very least, keep your attitude in check and out of your patient's room. Don't argue with other nurses in the presence of the patient or bring your disgruntled-ness into a patient's room. Believe it or not, your mood does affect the patient's experience, it affects the way you do your job, the way you interpret data, the way you communicate with the other staff about the patient and his/her needs. Get a grip. It matters.

Don't assume that every patient believes like you do. Don't assume that every woman wants an epidural. Don't assume that every woman is comfortable with a c-section. Instead of saying..."are you going to try to attempt a vaginal delivery," how about asking, what are your plans for delivery? I make it a point to answer the former question with, "No, I'm not going to "try to attempt," I'm going to do it!" Sure would be nice to get encouragement instead of doubt, from the very people who are trained to help you.

Use encouraging words and an encouraging tone. Skip the horror stories of what happened to other patients. Skip the scare tactics to garner compliance. A positive and supportive attitude goes a loooong way in garnering trust and mutual respect. Just 'cause you have on scrubs doesn't mean I automatically trust you and am going to cooperate.

Nursing is supposed to be a calling. Try to remember you're there for the patient and you're not just there "doing your job." This should be more than just a paycheck. What you're doing is providing a service, a ministry, it's more than a job. The minute you start thinking otherwise, then please take some deep breaths, go to a spa, take your vacation. You're doing more harm than good by spilling your bad vibes on your patients.

Remember than practicing medicine is more than just a clinical thing. Your patients have moods, feelings, anxieties that affect their physical well-being and stress level. Talk to your patients. Don't rely primarily on machines and gadgets to evaluate the situations.

And one note for dealing with pregnant women. It's not really useful (for the woman) if you say things like, "Are you sure you've felt the baby move recently?" or some other question based on the fact that your equipment is not working... I know it's all a ploy to make the woman fearful and at the mercy of the medical establishment, but c'mon. The next question inevitably is, "hmmmm, why is your blood pressure so high." Can you put yourself in the pregnant woman's shoes for 10 minutes?

One of the worst things that happened during the drama of our first pregnancy was overhearing a doctor and a resident's conversation:
Doctor: "She needs an ultrasound every day."
Resident: "I don't really remember how to do them."
Doctor: "Okay, honestly, you just need to make sure that the baby is alive."

Then, during the same ordeal, there was a team of residents in my room, discussing my "case" in front of me as if I were invisible.

What's just another case to you is real life to your patients.
If you don't remember anything else, remember that.