Make it a great day!
Sue Kilburn
SUE - a breast cancer survivor |
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With over 40 years in the career of nursing, if there is one gem I would pass on to new healthcare professionals it is to know your patient. Patients are not just diagnosis and treatment. There is so much more to knowing your patients needs and meeting them and understanding them. Not only do I want to know how you are doing today, I want to know what is happening in your family, is your dog recovering from his surgery and how are you sleeping and coping, who are there support people and what are there need today. Did you handle last weeks treatment and what issues and concerns do you have? I look at the patient not by diagnosis but by personal issues and concerns and presenting problems. What beliefs do they bring with them and what have they been told and what is their understanding of what is going on presently? When I hear their interpretation, I gain better insight into their understanding and I can help clear any confusion that they may have. I recently had one patient that did not understand what the medicine she was sent home with was for. After clariying what it was and when to use it, her next treatment went so much better. Being genuinely concerned and listening will help improve their coping skills as well and their understanding that we are a team in this process. All this will help improve communication which is the key to providing care. I have learned that this is a skill that I have developed after realizing that this was as important as the treatment. We all have the capacity to develop this skill more effectively once we have an awareness of being the health professional that really cares.
Make it a great day! Sue Kilburn
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AuthorMy name is Sue Kilburn and I am a clinical nurse breast cancer educator at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Archives
March 2015
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