Start at the Beginning - The Introduction

When the idea for this blog came up, I had multiple medical topics in mind that I have dealt with since working as a hospitalist NP.  However, I wanted to have some type of order to this, not totally random like I usually am, so I think we will start with what I think is the most important aspect of the patient experience: First Impressions.

So FIRST...

SMILE! It really is contagious :)

Here's proof.

Introduce yourself to everyone in the room. You'd be surprised how many times we walk into a room and just start talking. Imagine if you were the person lying there and this PERSON just starts spouting out numbers and words that may as well be Latin as far as you are concerned.

Be confident. Once upon a time, this was a hard one for me, having a fairly passive personality,  I wanted to say things like "we are going to try to figure out what's going on," or "wow, you really are sick, I don't know if we can help you or not but we will try."  Now, wouldn't you feel just great if you were sick and the one person in the whole world who at this moment is able to help you doesn't even seem sure he/she knows where to start? Wouldn't it make you feel better if your healthcare provider said "Hi, I'm Jane, I'm a nurse practitioner here, and I will be taking care of you today. I know you are feeling really lousy, but we have a great team of doctors and nurses here with years of experience with this sort of problem and I just want you to be assured you are in good hands."

I know these seem like basics and you probably are saying "Really, Kim, did you really think you had to tell us to do those things?" Truth is yes, I know, because everything I post here is and will be from experience. In other-over-used-words "been there, done that." The hard stuff will come later.

Don't forget to comment and let me know what topics you'd like to see in the future.