Stories of Purpose, Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference
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Art of Nursing
Day 308
There is an art to nursing that can't be learned from a textbook. It comes from a keen sense of being able to read a patient's mood or body language and knowing how to respond to those subtleties. Judy Hatch, RN, BSN, and other nurses like her, practice that art every day.
A major part of Hatch's job as an oncology clinical coordinator is to sit in when a doctor consults with a patient about their disease, treatment plans, and choices. There's usually a vast amount of information for a patient to absorb and many emotions at play, so Hatch stays after the doctor leaves in order to give the patient a chance to ask additional questions and assure them that she will provide them with written information that's specific to their condition.
One day, Hatch was participating in one of these consultations—this particular time she was with a woman in mid-life who was coping with a cancer recurrence. Her treatment had required additional surgery, which resulted in a post-operative drain to remove fluid from the area of surgery.The patient arrived for her appointment expecting the drain to be removed, but after assessing her, the doctor decided the drain needed to remain in place a bit longer.
"I noticed that she seemed really disappointed when he said the drain had to stay in," said Hatch. "She just briefly mentioned that she was scheduled to go to a camp in Georgia, but she didn't really pursue the issue with the doctor. It was like she was giving up on her trip because she had the drain, and she needed to stay near her doctor because of it."
Picking up on the patient's mood change, Hatch decided to inquire further about the planned trip after the doctor left the room.The patient shared that she had won a stay at an art camp in Georgia. She had already missed the first week of the camp and had counted on being able to leave for the second week of the camp after this particular doctor's visit. Now, it seemed, with the drain still in place, she wouldn't be able to go.
Hatch soon learned that art was very therapeutic to the patient and had helped her cope with her cancer. It was obvious the patient had been really looking forward to going to the art camp. Hatch excused herself and stepped outside the patient's room to find her doctor.
After explaining the situation to the doctor, he agreed that there was no reason why the patient wouldn't be able to attend the camp. If there was a problem with the drain while she was in Georgia, a local physician could remove it or plans could be made to take it out when she returned.
Hatch returned to the patient's room and shared that the doctor didn't have a problem with her going on her Georgia adventure, and of course the patient was elated.
For Hatch, this situation reaffirmed that assessment is not just about vital signs it's also about picking up on a patient's subtle communication and acting upon it.
"That's what I call the art part of nursing," explained Hatch. "It comes from being present.You're not going to pick up on it if you're already thinking about the next patient coming in or the schedule or even something that happened yesterday. It's about being in the present with the patient and really listening to them and watching them."
—Submitted by Cyndi Baxter, Central Baptist Hospital, Lexington, KY
This story was excerpted from What's Right in Health Care, 365 Stories of Purpose Worthwhile Work, and Making a Difference (Fire Starter Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9749986-4-0) and is available at www.studergroup.com.
