Essential Communication to Practice Nursing

Essential Communication to Practice Nursing Communication comes in all different forms that people use every single day. When communicating there are certain guidelines that should be understood and used throughout a dialogue with patients or an individual. The main question that needs to be answered is what kind of communication is essential to practice nursing? There are plenty of forms of communication that could be used, but in this essay:

• verbal communication
• building personal relationships
• active listening
• non-verbal communication

Verbal Communication and Building Personal Relationships the first form of communication that will be discussed is verbal communication. Verbal conversations could be classified as the easiest form. Like any interaction, setting the tone from the beginning is essential in the nursing field. Depending on the patient, some nurses only have a small amount of time to get as much information from them as possible. So, having a good disposition could put a patient at ease and begin a platform of trust.

Trust is the most essential characteristic any patient-nurse interaction should have along with being courteous. This could be done with a simple “Hello, how are you?” to an introduction such as “My name is Amanda, I’ll be your nurse today.” Once the initial greeting takes place the nurse should focus on building a personal relationship with the patient. Asking questions is one of the best ways of obtaining and providing patients with information (Principles, 2018). There needs to be a level of compassion, understanding, and a way of translating care and concern to show the patient they matter (Essentials, 2011). This is an emotional connection that is needed in order to connect with patient history in situations that could be uncomfortable for both parties involved. Being in the medical field a nurse will happen upon many different scenarios that these skills will be tested and perfected. These interactions should feel professional, natural, not forced, and appropriate giving the patient and nurse a comfortable platform through every interaction between the two.

All-in-all verbal communication and building relationships go hand-in-hand. Active Listening Once verbal communication is established and the nurse has begun building a rapport with the patient, active listening begins. Active listening could be one of the most difficult forms of communication and also the most essential. This is where a nurse listens to understand and essentially figure out why the patient is in need of care (Essentials, 2011). When active listening is taking place, the nurse is not responding unless there is a trigger for them to get more information from the patient in order to help care for them. Listening can be subjective, it is the nurse’s responsibility to have a knowledge of what the patient’s sickness or injury is while showing empathy and compassion to give the best care possible. With active listening comes a feeling of trust that the patient is telling the nurse something important and can be used in a helpful way to help figure out what is wrong in a fast manner. The active listening skill is taking the patients situation and turning it into a positive experience.

Non-Verbal Communication the last form of communication is non-verbal. The easiest way to describe non-verbal communication would be through body language. This could be anything from facial expressions, body movements, posture, etc. Facial expressions tend to be the first thing a patient notices of a medical professional. Whether it is a smile or a frown a patient is constantly analyzing anything to get a temperature of what a nurse could possibly tell them within the scenario that brings them in for help. Another form of non-verbal communication is eye contact. This is essential when communicating with a patient. When a nurse holds eye contact it shows respect and a firm understanding that the patient is their main priority. Non-verbal communication is often times confusing and need to be clear and concise to be understood.

The last thing a medical professional wants to do is scare a patient or have the patient feel uncomfortable. This is a form of communication that is used throughout every interaction and could essentially be the most important to keep professional and gentle when dealing with patients. Conclusion Verbal communication, building personal relationships, active listening and non-verbal communication all act together. All forms of communication are interlinked and are used in a seamless fashion to give a patient the best medical care possible. A nurse needs to have a professional take on these essential communication practices in order to initiate the trust a patient needs to give the most intimate information they hold dear to, essentially, a complete stranger.

Communication will only improve from daily interactions and feedback throughout a nurse’s career. In today’s society communication can be difficult because of the technology that grows everyday, limits how much personal interaction patients and nurses have together. That is why communication is essential in giving a patient the exact care they need and want. All-in-all no matter what form of communication a nurse is using they need to be completely at ease. It is an essential part to the medical profession to have patients trust their medical team because without that trust it could cost someone their life.