going to nursing school was not a breeze. but i liked it.

what i really like about it is the fact that they teach you something that you can actually use/apply when you are in the real world, working.

where i went, we had to practice giving bedbaths, enemas and shots with our classmates, for us to get the real feel of how it is to be on the patient’s shoes.

don’t ask me about the enema. we only had one restroom, and there were 6 pairs of nursing students doing the whole thing at the same time. be creative and imagine how priceless the sight is. students very eager to learn and master the craft of pushing a tube through the rectum, and finding out after a few seconds, that the stuff DOES make you want to push your gut out. knocking at the restroom door with your other hand holding your behind, (hoping that would stop the inevitable), is a mastercard moment too. priceless.

anyway, i’m digressing.

at the nursing school, they taught us stuff.

THERAPEUTIC/EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES
the idea is to communicate to the patients, their family, in such a way that will foster a better relationship.

“how are you tonight mrs. C?” (open ended question)

“not fine. leave me alone.”

“not fine?” (clarifying)

“not feeling well. just leave me alone.”

(silence/listening)

“what the h#% are you still doing here?”

“oh, just in case you need anything, just let me know.” (offering assistance)

“i won’t need anything, just leave me alone. i don’t want to be disturbed.”

i guess i got this whole effective communication process thing all mixed up huh.

“yes, i am mrs.C’s nurse, my name is May” (giving information)

“okay, listen May. this is the 6th time i called today. and everytime i call, nurses tell me my mom is asleep.she cannot be asleep the whole day if you didn’t drug her, can she?”

“R, i know it is frustrating that you have not talked to your mom…” (clarifying/validating)

“no no no no no, don’t start me on that one. tell me right now. what is wrong with my mother, why is she asleep the whole day? what is going on?”

“uhm your mother was…(ABOUT to provide feedback and information)

“don’t interrupt me when i’m talking. you have to let me finish first! now…..

(silence/respecting the person’s feeling/encouraging formulation of plan of action)

“go there and get her on the phone now. i don’t care if you had to wake her up, i want to talk to my mother.”

awww. i definitely was not paying attention when this whole effective communication thing was being discussed. how can i mess it up big time if i was paying attention?

if i didn’t know about effective/therapeutic communication, was there a possibility of a happy ending?

“i’ll leave you alone now.” mrs. C would have been a lot happier if i said that. and when R, her daughter called, i could have just shaken mrs. C out of her deep deep sleep and pressed the phone to her ear, ever so gently. then, they can talk nicely about the nurse, and bitch against each other peacefully. end of story. everybody happy.

could be that, or i need to review these so called effective communication techniques. has it been working out for you?