Real-Life Communication
Nurses must have good communications skills. They must be effective
readers and writers.
They scribble vital signs on charts, write discharge
orders and even help people fill out their dinner menus. Nurses are a vital
link in the information flow of a hospital, bridging the gaps between doctors
and patients. They also pass information on to the next shift.
At the
end of your overnight shift in the acute care ward of a large city hospital,
you sit down to write a note to the daytime supervisor, who comes in two hours
after you leave. While you meet with her once a week to discuss matters, these
notes are your best way of keeping her updated on what happened during the
night.
Tonight, you want to tell her several things, including:
The
patient in room 199 is experiencing severe pain and needs to talk to a doctor
as soon as possible. The nurses' break room is out of bottled water and a
new shipment isn't due for another week. The family of the patient in room
150 would not leave at the end of visiting hours and security had to be called;
you expect they will do this again and want advice on how to handle it.
Two
nurses have already called to say they won't be in to work during the day,
but you have already found replacements from the call list. There are new
patients in room 125 and 130 who came in overnight while still under anesthesia.
They will need to be checked and told where they are and why. The laundry
room did not pick up the dirty linens, which are now piled behind the nursing
station counter.
Remember: you can't just list these
concerns in random order. Your supervisor is pressed for time. What's the
best way to give her this information? Don't forget she may be distracted
halfway through the note by an emergency, so tell her the most important items
first.