Nurses are responsible for communicating often and effectively with patients, representing the patient's interests in the health care system. Nurses must be able to prepare patients and patient families for medical procedures, by explaining different treatment options and helping patients talk through which options may be optimal for them. Nurses may request a consultation between the patient and physician when needed.
A large part of a nurse's job involves being present in stressful situations. As such, a nurse must make therapeutic use of her whole self while dealing with a patient, in order to communicate most effectively and empathetically. Nurses should use behaviors such as eye contact and touching when communicating, if appropriate for the situation and considered appropriate for a patient's particular cultural background. Furthermore, nurses should ensure that a patient's needs are best taken care of by being responsive to inconsistencies between a patient's body language and words.
Validation involves letting a patient and his family know that his concerns are important and legitimate. Nurses should initiate conversations with patients and families to let them know that their concerns matter; listen to their concerns and problems, and draw out family members who are usually silent. Through validation, nurses can help to ease stress for both patients and families, by showing them that the hospital or doctor is working to address their concerns as much as possible at their time of distress.
Whenever interacting with a patient and her family, a nurse must have patience and be willing to receive unexpected information. A nurse might think she already knows what is wrong with her charge, but the patient or her family could bring up an issue that is entirely new. In addition, when a family member asks a lot of questions, these questions could potentially uncover an issue critical to the patient's health. Be sure to hear people out: at times, a patient's life could depend on it.