Every clinician is a caregiver. Our book, Caregiver Revolution is for family caregivers and professionals. With our new clinical education initiative you will see how our tips, tools and techniques are applicable to the clinical environment.
Take for instance “matching the mood of a room.” Any experienced nurse will tell you that she instinctively does this. When she walks into a room she is never overly aggressive or loud because the important thing is to relate to the patient, the situation, and the patient will indicate how to do that. Of course we all love patients who like to joke around or families who are having fun, but generally, when entering a room in most cases we are quiet and respectful of the patient’s space.
You have to keep patient care as your beacon, your North Star. It is the most important thing. You will get to your documentation. Patient care is your number one goal and that will keep you in line with your original reasons for going into this profession. You wanted to help people, right?
Try some simple mindfulness techniques when on the job. If you can take a deep breath as you enter a room, repeat an affirmation, or try to bring all of your focus on a small task it will help you to be more present with your patient, more focused on his or her situation and less distracted by yours. I guarantee that your patient will sense this and appreciate it.
These are just three small ways that the tips provided in Caregiver Revolution are applicable to conditions in any health care environment. We will post many more of these simple practical suggestions, oriented to the clinical environment. Meanwhile see our caregiver tips link above and please leave feedback – we value your input on this!
