Telling people I work in healthcare can feel risky. I often hear from grateful patients, friends, or the person next to me on the plane if they find out I’m a nurse:
- The Doctor was so supportive and took the time to explain the treatment options.
- The Nurse in the emergency room helped me understand what was happening with my daughter.
- The Physical Therapist listened to my fears and helped me walk again.
- The Nurse Assistant was so gentle and talked to my husband even though he was unconscious.
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
Yet, hearing complaints is also common:
- My father was left lying in bed soaked and in pain for hours.
- I’ve been calling and calling the office and no one calls me back.
- The nurse was talking so fast I don’t understand why I’m supposed to be taking this pill.
- The doctor rushed me out of the office even though I had questions.
Can you relate?
And behind closed doors we healthcare professionals talk and worry about bullying, burnout, preventable medical errors, (sometimes catastrophic ones), inadequate staffing, unions, occupational injuries, unrelenting stress, workplace violence, and toxic cultures.
How to respond?
The complaints are hard to hear. I’m sad for the suffering that patients are families are experiencing. That which is preventable and that which may not be. I’m also sad for the caring, skilled, and well-intentioned doctors, nurses, and others who are doing their best. Day after day. Shift after shift. Patient after patient.
I usually just listen and validate people’s experience, while thinking: the system is broken and doesn’t support our work to be consistently safe and compassionate, many professionals are trying, burned out, or exhausted, and it would be so helpful for everyone if we could improve the quality of our interactions!
Saying these things to people who’ve had bad experiences feels wrong, defensive, They are often coping with loss, suffering, and/or pain. So, instead, I take a deep breath and stay focused on what can help!
We can dial up the good & down the bad!
I’ve been researching, writing about, and teaching communication-related skills for twenty years. I know that effective and respectful communication impacts everything!
- Are professionals listening empathically?
- Are staff asking for what they need to be successful?
- Are leaders validating, supporting with resources, and holding safe respectful dialogues about expectations and limitations?
- Do staff have the skills for and does the culture support giving and receiving constructive feedback?
- Do professionals manage conflict productively?
- Do staff respect each other and learn from diversity?
- Are mistakes opportunities for teaching and learning?
When the answer to these questions is “Yes’ or ‘Mostly yes”, the interactions among staff, clients, and throughout an organization are likely having a positive impact on patient safety, patient experience, workforce health, and cost-effectiveness.
When the answer is “No’ ‘Not sure’ or ‘Sometimes” then interactions are probably causing problems in these same outcomes.
In a system or ‘business’ where loss, suffering and pain are commonplace, it isn’t realistic to think we’ll make everyone happy or that we can eliminate these things. Yet we can increase the positive and decrease the negative by improving interactive skills. Please join me on 8/3/23 from 1-2:30pm for a free online session: “YES AND” 101 for Healthcare & Mental Health Care Visionaries so I can show you how!
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