Bedside Manners and Its Importance in Nursing

Being at a hospital is not a place most people want to be in, and even more being there for few days or few weeks. If you are unfortunate to get hospitalize and being there for days or weeks you would like for whoever is attending, you to have superb bedside manners. Either the doctor but most important your nurse because they’re the ones that will be coming to you constantly. Having a good bedside manner helps build a trusting relationship with patients because when a patient feels trust with a medical provider, they are more likely to be honest and open about their medical condition, making a diagnosis and care more successful. In class, our professors explain how we should behave at a patient’s bedside. As a nursing student, it is vital to be working on our bedside manner from the start. Bedside manner is when a healthcare professional communicates and is with patients. The simplest way to establish good bedside manner is by putting yourself in the patient’s shoes. By having a good beside manners patients and staff will trust in your ability. I think that I would have good bedside manners because I am compassionate, empathetic and have great communication.

Patients want to feel that their nurse cares and being compassionate with them will express caring desirable attitude. The power to feel compassion and be kind to others has been found to have various health benefits for our mind and body for both those giving and those receiving. As nurses we come into the world with a need to connect with and care about our patients because we are the first one, they might see when they wake up after hours of surgery or simple overnight stay at the hospital. By having the patient feel your compassion towards them can affect a patient’s outcome. I like being empathetic to better understand my patients because you want to know what they’re going through and getting to understand their needs. Giving positive language to give patients confidence is something that I do not to patients but in everyday cases with friends and family. Being a compassionate nurse not only profits the patient, it also benefits the nurse. Nurses more concerned about their patients’ well-being and the pain and fear they feel typically enjoy their jobs more and feel connected to their occupations.

Being empathetic and courteous I can help gain a patient’s trust and boosts their confidence, which can equal greater levels of accomplishment after discharge. When providers have a meaningful conversation with patients, the providers gain a better, more full understanding of the patient, determine how to deliver challenging news, decide which information would be especially motivating for treatment, and many other insights that would not be possible without having a great bedside manner. In the video, The Nurse Effect- Alicia by Johnson & Johnson Nursing, the nurse was able to get to the patient by making them feel empathetic towards their condition. She was able to go in the patient room and make them feel better not just physically but emotionally. She made sure that the patient understood what was going on and gave her hope. Medical and nursing students are taught to put themselves in the patient’s shoes. As easy as it is for a health care professional to write off a patient’s concerns as routine, caretakers must remember that for many people, being in the hospital is one of the most stressful times of their lives. I will do my best to be fully engaged in every patient interaction to make it meaningful for both the patient and the rest of my team.

Communication is key in almost everyday aspect of life, but a nurse communication to their patient is a key role in bedside manners. I don’t expect patients to understand medical language or the vocabulary you use on everyday workday. I think being clear when explaining procedures or treatments is important because it gives them that boost of confident that they understand it clearly therefor they might be ready for anything that comes afterwards. A nurse should ask patients if they understand what you will be doing. One reason people may be afraid when they are in the hospital is because of the unknown. Understanding more about their condition and what is involved will take some of the fear out of the situation. It can be easy to get distracted when you have several things to do at the same time. But staying focused on the patient you are with at the moment is necessary in order to provide good care. I’ll have great communication to any patient because I do this every day when comes to friends and family. Being able to communicate with a love one and being to explain things that they understand helps them to feel that they can overcome a situation. This follows into a patient because it’s important to have hope and being able to tell them everything.

Our bedside manner is vital to the patients you care for so many reasons as a nursing professional. Never underestimate the power of a good bedside manner. Take steps so you do not forsake the oath you have taken to provide quality care to your patients. Remember the importance of bedside manner in nursing. As a nurse student I can work on my bedside manners on everyday occasions in our life’s because it’s something that we do as a nurse, and that is to interact with people. The people that a nurse interacts are people that confuse, scared and alone at times. As a nurse student, having compassion, being empathetic and having great communication is key for having great bedside manners. Bedside manner is not a task, it’s a skill that all nurses should have because in all ends, it’s a skill not might save someone life in the long run.