6 Ways Nurses Can Make Memories with Patients

The best of nursing is the ability to turn a hard moment in a patient's life into one they remember. You do not need a special gift for it. A little sincerity, a genuine compliment, and an open manner go a long way.

"It felt great to meet a former patient on the street. Even if I had forgotten who they were, they remembered me and greeted me like an old friend," an emergency room nurse once said.

Here are six ways to make that kind of impression.

1. Be approachable

Politeness adds class to your character, and people are drawn to it. A sincere good morning, a held door, a real smile. Small gestures make people feel important. People mirror the manner you give them, so a warm approach usually comes back to you, and that opens the door to a better relationship with the patient.

2. Skip the shallow small talk

People talk constantly and say nothing, falling back on scripted, generic responses that read as insincere. What patients want is a genuine human connection. You can ease real anxiety and sadness just by asking what they are thinking. Therapeutic conversation gets taught in school, but reading what a patient is holding back takes practice.

3. Ask questions, listen, make eye contact

A CCU nurse was once handed the patient the unit called its most verbally abusive, on a night shift. She told the story this way:

"When I entered the room, he just looked at me, and I held his eyes for what felt like forever. It was like he was testing me. I went to his bed anyway, told him my name, asked for his, and said it was nice to meet him. Just like that, he no longer scared me. I told him a little about myself, then asked about him. I wanted a balanced conversation, so I would stop for a minute or two and wait for him to respond. Most of the time I prayed silently that he would."

"He told me no one dared come near him. He was paralyzed from the waist down, and after he put up walls of violence, people stayed away. But I showed him I was willing to listen, and he talked about what he had kept inside for so long. That one night changed how I saw myself and the world. The lion can be tamed. Walls can come down. We just have to be brave enough to give everyone a chance."

4. Mind the small, nonverbal things

It is hard to do this with every patient on a busy shift, but it is also a fault not to care. An extra pillow before they ask. A squeeze of the hand when they say they are scared. Something more than medications and health teaching. It takes a minute and it shows them you mean it.

5. Smile and laugh

Everyone loves to laugh. Have a good laugh with your patients, let them make you laugh, sing a silly song if the moment calls for it. Finding humor in any situation means you are not letting the moment go to waste.

6. Keep professional space

A light touch on the shoulder can tell a patient you want to be part of their journey and that you are open and trustworthy. Be careful it never reads as flirting. Use the technique, but keep it professional.

It comes down to having the courage to walk into the shift and make a real connection. Don't be afraid to make a memory. Counting your years of service by the impact you made beats counting the years alone.