Introduction
Nursing is a form of vocation that needs specialized knowledge, skills, and adequate preparation. From my past personal experiences in life, I learned vital lessons that I believe will assist me to interact appropriately with patients/clients. This paper discusses my life experiences and how I developed them prior to nursing/healthcare as the chosen profession. Additionally, it illuminates how those issues may help (positive) or hinder (negative) my future relationships with patients.
The discussion presents personal reflections in life and their importance to my future career as a nurse, my future relationship with clients, and the merits as well as the inconveniences that are bound to occur to me through this interaction. Moreover, it presents the different ways (plan for overcoming negative effects) through which I will be able to handle the situation or enhance my relationships with clients.
Personality Traits (courteousness and humility)
Personally, I previously developed several personality traits prior to my profession as a healthcare practitioner. It is crucial to note that these traits will influence my future relationships with clients in a positive manner. When I was still young, I developed the aspects of courteousness and humility.
I had been interacting with sick people at home. Additionally, my personal interactions with people suffering from different illnesses helped me to develop the mentioned personality traits. I realized that sick people need some exemplary courtesy and humility for their psychological well-being. Having realized this provision at a personal level, I vowed to remain polite and humble to patients regardless of the nature of their illnesses.
Evidently, these will assume prominent roles in shaping my ambitions for the nursing profession in the future. For example, most of the sick persons I previously met were terminally ill and always viewed life pessimistically. I indulged positively in their lives and gave them hope as well as encouragement.
These helped me to develop some aspects of courteousness and humility as indicated earlier. Such initiatives have inculcated in me the senses of empathy and sympathy, counseling as well as guidance. I believe that in the future as a practicing nurse, I will be able to enhance these skills through training and real-time experiences.
These traits will also enhance my key competencies as a future professional nurse. Agreeably, handling anxieties from patients as well as from his family’s side had been the most tasking event. In this context, I believe my personal nature as a polite and humble person will enhance my effective performance and client relationship. Additionally, my religious values have enhanced my humility and politeness. From the struggles I underwent during my growth, I shall come to relate well and professionally with all my clients.
I shall also appreciate the role of counseling in nursing care to all my clients. Based on these traits, my interactions with clients will be focused more on finding and analysis of their route problems, respect for their decisions as well as consultations with their family members.
Having developed such personal traits previously, I shall be able to enhance and integrate courtesy, humility, and counseling skills into my relationship with the clients. This initiative shall also assist clients to note and cope with distressful psychological and social challenges. Moreover, it shall help to develop and enhance their interpersonal associations.
Additionally, I will be able to focus on assisting clients to adopt novel attitudes, positive feelings as well as constructive behaviors. It is apparent that the ability of a client to consider alternative behaviors and identify options helps them to develop their sense of logic or control (Kim, 2010). I have noticed the urge to transform the systems within healthcare-providing institutions to be able to accommodate the clients’ needs in the future.
Empathy and Fearlessness
There are core attributes and traits that all nurses must have to professionally practice. Previously, there are some conditions that forced me to develop courage and empathy towards sick people. Luckily, I formerly interacted with several patients as well as their family members, an instance that enabled me to adopt critical lesions within the nursing process. For example, I come across a critical road accident, which left several casualties grieving in agony, pain, and despair.
Several passengers had died instantly while others were to be ferried to the hospital to save their lives. Since there were no specialized people to help, the few witnesses who were present (including myself) had to participate and save the lives of the casualties despite the condition. Having developed some empathy and ethics, I had to be courageous to help in the situation. This indicates how I had developed and realized the importance of empathy, ethics, and boldness in the clinical context.
In essence, these form some of the basic elements within nursing care. Compliance and practice of the basic professional code of ethics, empathy, and courage within nursing is an important recipe for the effective nurse-client association. For example, a typical instance of the relationship between a nurse and a terminally ill patient is critical.
Another instance that made me develop empathy, morals, and courage in the clinical context is my personal interaction with a terminally ill cancer patient. Respect and courtesy that I developed over time formed important attributes towards effective relationships with patients. From these virtues (previously developed), I shall be able to respect the existence and rights of patients.
For example, upholding the health standard of patients, respecting their humanity and existence are critical. The interchanging nursing roles require more flexibility and open mindedness. This is because one is not meant to entirely deal with a particular type of client with a specific illness or health deformity.
Consequently, I believe my noble experiences will play a critical role in enhancing my relationships with clients as a nurse. Since I will be working in a hospital environment, I will be meeting with clients who are tensed and anxious regarding the status of their health. Moreover, I am also aware that I will not just be interacting with the patients but also family members or caretakers to the sick person. Empathy, courage, humility, patience, close contact as well as courtesy and love are vital ingredients for effective relationships between a nurse and the client.
These virtues will enhance my relationships with clients. For example, these are vital attributes that I have come to learn, adopt, and practice due to my daily life interactions at school, home, and other social places. In this respect, it is important to note that nursing involves sacrifice and commitment to healthy living. It forms the main spring board of the nursing practice. Personally, there had been many occasions that these vital nursing attributes were put to test by meeting diverse people in life. I believe that these past experiences will immensely enhance my future interactions with my clients when I become a qualified nurse.
Fear
Previously, I was fearful in various aspects. It was impossible for me to visit, touch, or talk to the sick regardless of the condition. I used to think that by doing so, I would contract similar ailments. This was a prejudicial reasoning. Its continuity could ruin the affectivity of my participation as a professional nurse. I could not take time to counsel and listen to the patients’ grievances.
Additionally, due to fear, I could not comprehend that the hospital or healthcare providers have capitalized mostly on clinical conditions, treatments, and also recognizing the psychological and social implications of clients. Fear has proved to be a potential barrier towards effective interactions with sick patients. Most health practitioners might not be able to practice their mandates due to fear and other negative provisions. As a result, they will not address the problems or concerns of their clients.
For example, it is observable that fear among nurses has led to several implications on the nurse-client relationship. As a result, the interactions become compromised due to apprehension. This is applicable from my past experience. The situation interferes grossly with the client-nurse interaction. Approach, active listening, counseling, empathy, and giving pieces of informed advice do not adequately occur in such scenarios.
The health status of the client is a vital consideration in effective interactions between the client and the nurse. For example, it is obvious that not much of interactions can occur between a harshly ill client and the nurse due to fear. This is basically due to physical incapability and the need for prompt medical attention.
My Plan for Overcoming Negative Effects
The negative effects of fear and other provisions mentioned earlier can be alleviated through various means. As a future professional nurse, my interactions with diverse clients and personalities will enable me learn critical lessons that will assist me in dealing professionally with diverse patients within different contexts (Chism, 2013).
For that matter, undertaking relevant studies on the matter will help considerably. The lessons will be critical since I will be able to brainstorm on more rationale ways of handling the observed negative effects. Foremost, I will learn to ultimately observe the notable nursing roles as well as professional ethics. Assuming the roles of a teacher can equally help (Kim, 2010). This attribute will offer information that might assist clients to learn and obtain novel coping skills.
Adequate education will assist in compliance to the prescribed medication, enhance healthy lifestyles, instill ethics, thwart fear, and provide fundamental information to the health practitioners.
Another plan helpful in overcoming the mentioned negative effects is to pay attention to clients’ grievances in order to articulate and communicate their feelings. Being a change agent as a future nurse is critical in enhancing such roles (Freshwater, 2002). The ability to evaluate care as well as personnel enables the nurse to set up appropriate systems for effective client –nurse relationship or interaction.
Conclusion
My previous experiences allowed me to develop personal traits including empathy, humility, courage, politeness, courteousness, and other positive virtues that will enhance my future interaction with clients in the clinical realms. Negative factors like fear are devastating to the nursing career; nonetheless, it is possible to develop a plan that will help in overcoming their off-putting effects. The daily life experiences will enhance my skills, develop my problem resolution competencies, and also transform my career ambitions.
References
Chism, L. (2013). The doctor of nursing practice: A guidebook for role development and professional issues. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Freshwater, D. (2002). Therapeutic nursing: Improving patient care through self awareness and reflection. London: SAGE.
Kim, H. (2010). The nature of theoretical thinking in nursing. New York: Springer Pub.Co.