When patients enter a hospital, whether it’s for a regular checkup or the first day of a long journey of chemotherapy, they put their entire trust in the hands of those who have spent years learning about the mysteries and complexities of the human body.
From their perspective, the doctors, nurses, and surgeons are a source of healing and solace when they are at their worst. They seek compassion, understanding, and a human connection from the faces that will poke and prod their bodies.
This is why the entire healthcare industry emphasizes the importance of bedside manners, compassion, and empathy. Without these qualities, every patient is just another case they have to solve and close.
It’s quite understandable why some healthcare professionals choose to leave emotions and sensitivity at the door when they enter a hospital. For most, it’s a coping mechanism for the toll that being responsible for human life has on nurses and doctors. However, considering that patients’ have limited experience with nurses and doctors, it’s critical for their recovery to be considerate and accommodating.
Today, we are focusing on the frontline medical heroes that are our nurses.
Nurses and nurse practitioners in any medical setting have more direct patient contact than an attending physician. They are advocates for their patients, giving their absolute best to make sure they are well taken care of.
From drawing blood for a test to helping patients go to the bathroom where they are at their most vulnerable, their undertaking is not easy in any way. It seems even more emotionally burdening when you consider that nurses are, at times, responsible for helping patients pass on and then consoling their loved ones through their grief.
The immense amount of responsibility on our nurses’ shoulders is why we consider them as heroes. Their empathetic compassion goes a long way in the patient’s recovery, lifting them when mortal life situations have them down. This unwavering support of patients, in addition, to their commendable clinical prowess, makes them more than deserving of prayers for nurses.
The Details Add Up
Bedside manners are not considered a nurse’s superpower for the sake of it.
The time and energy nurses expend on their patients is what makes them worthy of this consideration. Just a little bit of their undivided attention can make a huge difference in how the patient feels.
Even when the concerned patient is not the friendliest, nurses go above and beyond to make sure they listen and pay attention without judgment. Their bedside manners are honed to the point that prevents them from discriminating or mistreating any patient regardless of how the latter might act.
Powered by Kindness
Bedside manners are not limited to accurate vital assessments, facilitating patient mobility, and giving the right medicine at the right time. Patience, kindness, and considerate treatment are the traits that power our nurses.
Despite having long working hours, countless numbers of patients and families to check up on, and the emotional strain of seeing patients struggle with serious conditions and illnesses, they still manage to put on a smile and be kind. It is due to their continued service that the World Health Organization recognized 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.
Even when smiling is not plausible, their bedside manners and friendly gestures become a source of positivity, especially when patients are searching for any sort of solace. They become a source of hope and sincere understanding.
Nurses are not mere automatons bound to regurgitate information over and over again. Instead, they are a pillar on which the foundation of healthcare and medicine is forged. Without their noble dedication to patient health and wellbeing, it would be near impossible for patients to have any sort of humanity bestowed upon them.
Today, as patients and loved ones concerned about our friends’ and family’s health, we must take a minute to say a few prayers for nurses and wish upon them unwavering strength. It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not, saying a small prayer will only send out good energy into the universe for those who are at our service night and day during some of the darkest moments in our life, especially when hope seems far out of our reach.
