Personal Narrative: My Bill Graham Civic Center

When patients go to a doctor’s office, they need to know that the PA/NP that is treating them is highly qualified. They should feel safe and know that they are in safe capable hands. A patient should never feel like they are not getting the proper care. Patients need to know that they are being

A common value shared throughout this community is allowing your patients to trust you with their health needs. Allowing them to trust you builds a relationship with the patients, as well as others in your profession.

For my book review assignment, I decided to choose the book titled “The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for excellent patient care”. This story deal with Marcus and how he experiences the good and the bad of patient care after suffering severe injuries from a drunk driver. The reason I decided to choose this book is because this book provided a great perspective from the patient point of view of how a patient is cared for and treated in the hospital setting. One of the most important themes from the book was to understand the relationship between the caregiver and the patient, which is patient care. Marcus states the relationship between the health care provider and the patient are similar to that of a relationship between a parent and a child. The patient depends on us and looks to us for support and comfort. One of the fundamental components of forming good patient care is to be compassionate. Compassionate care could mean the difference between life and death for a patient. From reading this book, I understand that giving compassion to someone can take all shapes and forms. As a healthcare provider, we could make such a difference for a patient in need. You could have such a huge impact on patient, even if you only deal with one for a few minutes. Simple ordinary gestures of kindness such as telling a patient you are here for them or a simple smile can give a patient a good impression of the kind of care he or she will receive. For Marcus, it was the medical

In summary, the experience of observing and reflecting on this video vignette, elevated my understanding of the range of techniques that enhances communication therapeutically, such as active listening, empathy, developing rapport and the use of non-threatening body language and tone of voice to alleviate patient anxiety and illicit patient cooperation. Moreover, the act of reflective contemplation gave me an understanding of what it means to be self-aware - to be able to recognise and arrest idiosyncrasies such as personal moral values and cultural beliefs so as to promote a healthcare environment that is patient-centred. As general workplace and healthcare resource pressures increases, it becomes even more relevant for healthcare practitioners and future clinicians to be versed in such techniques, so that despite the pressure, they are better able to manage their emotional and physical

As a professional administering and delegating care to a patient you have a great responsibility to communicate with them. The world of healthcare is large and to the general public is utterly confusing. As the professional you need make the patient feel secure about the care they are receiving. It also lends itself to informing the families of the patient as well. If the patient is confused, it’ the job of the professional to be the teacher. It’s not enough for the information to be given, the information needs to be interpreted.

During the year I have spent in the emergency department of Broward Health Medical Center, I have observed amazing cases and witnessed the dynamic qualities of a physician, such as being a critical thinker, showing compassion and expressing empathy. A competent physician must simultaneously function as a confident teacher and humble student to do well in the constantly evolving field of medicine. As I observed the bedside manner of the emergency department physicians, they were always concerned for the patient 's best interest and often went the “the extra mile” for their patients. I admired their dedication and will strive to treat my patients with a similar level of respect and compassion in my future practice.

Naturally, a lot of the mistakes that clinicians make come from the assumption that the transition from the classroom to the hospital makes one qualified to care for patients. In most cases, medical schools impart students with the necessary knowledge to be a physician and most of it is by following examples and by trial and error. However, things have changed, and today professionalism is not just about being able to treat the patient, but it is also inclusive of how the patient and physician interact during the treatment period. This is important as each small gesture by the physician can be translated either in the right or the wrong way by those around him (Inui, 2003).

The three principles that I routinely practice in my profession are mutual respect, supportive environment, and right information. I apply these three principles synergistically while working in the emergency department. An example of these begins in my initial contact with the patient. Developing mutual respect through active listening, sharing thoughts and concerns, and reflective communications will start to build our relationship of trust. After trust is established, a supportive environment evolves which allows the patient to feel safe to speak freely of

Professionalism in health care is of utmost importance, because it involves the delicate relationship between the caregiver, patient, and patient’s family. Patients often confront illness, social disruption, or any other life-changing event and are more often than not presented in a very vulnerable position. They expect healthcare professionals to handle their needs in an expert professional manner. “As a member of this profession, a physician must recognize responsibility to patients first and foremost, as well as to society, to other health professionals, and to self.” (Pozgar, 2012) This is why professional conduct plays such a critical role in today’s healthcare setting. The rapport established between the medical professional and patient is fundamental in providing success to the diagnosis and overall care of the patient.

The aide’s act of compassion left me speechless. I knew she was seeing the same grime and hopelessness; she smelled the same toxic aura. Yet, she gave her full self to that woman, and without any visible faltering. She made the patient feel encouraged, safe, and loved. She stepped forward and cared. I lay hidden – awed and humbled. As the pungent odor concomitantly ebbed, I could finally exhale. In that moment, she was a caregiver. I was just an undergraduate – a scared and cowardly undergraduate. I sank down, in my defeat and disappointment, realizing how much I had yet to learn about medicine.

The ability to place oneself in another’s shoes is not an easy task, especially when you in such a fast environment as the hospital. However, it is important to take a step back and truly consider how the patient and their families may be feeling during these times. Doing so can greatly improve the patient’s hospital stay as well as their response to their plan of care. Being able to empathize with the patient’s current state and work with them through their difficulties can help the patient and health care provider develop a trusting relationship. I would demonstrate this empathy through every encounter I had with Anne, by acknowledging her situation, the plan of care, and the goals we had for that particular day. Doing so would help the patient feel involved with her

There is increasing evidence in medical practice that emotional interactions with patients are fundamental to patient healing. Medical

I also felt that many interventions were based on myths and assumptions as patient A’s team believed that day after the family visit patient A disrupts and presents extremely obsessional. However, I could not find any concrete evidence to support this claim or neither witnessed any changes in patient’s presentation. I started to challenge these assumptions because evidence based practice provides a framework for making clinical decisions based on research findings and applying these to individual patients. I also consider myself as worrier, overcritical, harsh and conservative. Due to these traits and stubbornness, I might have compromised patients care. These traits are not useful to lead the team especially when we are providing care to a difficult patient. Furthermore, this could lead in compromising the care and dignity of patient. Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2015) highlighted that dignity is promoted and diminished by attitude and behaviour of nurses. When dignity is present, people are able to make decisions, feel valued, in control, confident and comfortable. However, when dignity is not present people feel devalued, lacking control and comfort. They may have lack of confidence, humiliated, embarrassed and ashamed. Everyone has equal right so people need to be treated with

Having concise background knowledge of patients, consequently leads to more accurate treatments and assessments. Such as radiographers who are frequently faced with patients, colleagues and patient kin overwhelmed with emotions, such as trauma or fear (Booth, 2008). Radiographers are often one of the initial professional contacts with patients and loved ones, when patients are undergoing diagnosis or treatment. A radiographer should possess interpersonal skills, to effectively assess patient’s emotional responses to the medical situation to ensure accurate assessments as well as promote patient’s willingness to participate (Booth, 2008) (Mackay et al., 2010). Hence, not being able to build trust with a patient may have serious implications on outcomes.

For years, I frequented the hospital weekly to tend an injury that never healed. My experiences with healthcare have shaped my ambitions. With every visit, I further admired the way the staff overcame patient fears in unfamiliar settings, certainly as they did with me. I will always remember the two doctors who went out of their way to encourage me. One was my primary care physician. He’d seen me every week for over three years following up on my injury. Always, his care gave me a feeling of comfort and wellbeing, even when my leg was acting up and the pain less manageable. Even after he retired and after I settled in the US, he would still check on me every month. He was caring for his patient beyond his professional obligation. In a sense,