Part of being a successful nurse is being able to build a good rapport with your patients. Your day will go much better if your patients respond well to you. It will also be easier for you to help your patients if they like you and feel that they can trust you. No one wants to have a nurse that they feel awkward around when they are not feeling well.
Treat each and every one of your patients as an individual. Try to get to know a little bit about each patient’s personality so that you can respond to them as individuals. Do not look at a patient as just another number or just another patient on your list of people to take care of. Keep in mind that not all patients are alike. Some patients will cooperate. Other patients will be afraid and frustrated and might act out to some degree.
Make yourself as available to your patients as possible. As a nurse it is easy to become busy and not check in on your patients as often as you could. Try to create a schedule and be organized so that you can stop by to check on your patients often. Whenever possible, respond to a patient’s call bell quickly. If you cannot respond right away to a patient’s non-urgent request, stop in their room to let them know you will be there to help as soon as possible.
Always make good eye contact with your patients. This will make your patient know that you do care about them and are taking the time to interact with them. They will know that what they have to say is important to you. You should always use good eye contact when you must explain a procedure or something else that is vital to your patient.
Be willing to give your patient a listening ear. If he or she is afraid, let them vent to you for a few moments. Whenever possible, give your patients some words of encouragement. Even if your patient is complaining about something, listen to them for a few minutes. Do not become upset with the patient, bur rather realizes that they are going through a difficult time.
Always be polite to your patients. Knock before you enter into their hospital room. Always greet the patient right away and with a smile. Let him or her know what you are going to do. Respect their privacy each time you visit their room. Try to make some small talk to help the patient feel more at ease.
Never make a patient feel as if you are rushing when working with them. Do not let him or her know how overworked you are. The patient needs to feel important and needs to be your priority when you are with him or her. If you must leave to attend to an emergency, apologize when you get back. Try to spend a few extra moments with that patient if necessary.
There is a lot you can do to make certain you build a good rapport with your patients.
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