Manage the direct and indirect care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations to promote, maintain, and restore health
Often
times I think that we as nurses get so focused on the patient that we put
blinders on and forget about the rest of the family. Although the patient is
our first priority, we need to be conscious of the family and others that may
be impacted by the patients. It is also important to be aware of the patient’s
family and communities to aid in the diagnosis of a patient. This became
evident to me during the Gerontological Nursing course. During this class I had
the opportunity to interview an elderly gentleman. Although he was in relative
good physical health, I discovered that he was at a high risk for depression. The
importance of understanding family and culture was also apparent during our
Transcultural Nursing course. I researched healing practices of Native Americans,
which I have included. By understanding the patient’s culture we can provide
greater holistic care.
I
feel that this is one aspect that I excel at as a nurse. I feel that I am very
conscious of family in the room. I am aware that this is a traumatic event for
them as well. I strive to make them as comfortable during this time as
possible. I often get compliments of gratitude from the patients. Even though
they are laid up in bed, they still stress at not being able to be a hospitable
host. By simply finding another chair, or offering a drink, not only do I help
the family, but my patient as well. By caring for my patient’s family, they
realize that I care about them as a person, and not just as a patient.
