Empathy and Values

Part 1

Imagine you are a new nursing student who has been hospitalized for injuries from a major car accident. You were told the fracture in your right leg will require complicated surgery to repair and extensive rehab to recover. There is a question as to whether you will ever regain full use of this leg. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Tonight you are alone in your hospital room and the night nurse has just come in.

1. As you reflect on your personal experience as the patient, what are your concerns? Make sure to describe how your life might be change and be permanently affected by this injury – physically, emotionally, socially, and with your family.

2. What are your physical and emotional needs and expectations of your night nurse regarding both symptom management and psychological/emotional support? What type of communication would be most and least helpful to you tonight? How could the nurse show compassion?

Part 2

Sometimes patients and nurses do not always have the same values. These values can be due to differences in lifestyle, cultural backgrounds, belief systems, attitudes about health care, or bias either toward the healthcare provider or the patient. You reflect this might be challenging for you as a nurse someday.

3. Reflect on your own values and identify a personal value/belief that could become a conflict for you in delivering quality patient care. Describe a situation that might be challenging for you as a nurse when taking care of a patient that has different values or biases.

4. Communication is an important skill that can help nurses navigate challenging situations. Identify and explain two communication techniques that you will use to enhance communication with this patient. Then, identify and explain two communication techniques you will avoid because they block/hinder communication. (Use class readings and lecture to help you identify communication techniques)

5. It is very possible that you may be faced with this challenge during your nursing career. How can you prepare yourself practically and emotionally for an interaction with a similar client? What can you do to make this type of situation less challenging?