Reflect on a communication encounter you had with one other person (patient/client) during your clinical placement where you drew on your listening skills to convey understanding to a patient/client as a student nurse.
Nursing paper:
Module: NU1047: Therapeutic Interpersonal Skills for Nursing Practice & Psychology for Healthcare
Essay (reflection) topic: Listening Skills (100mrks)
Question:
Reflect on a communication encounter you had with one other person (patient/client) during your clinical placement where you drew on your listening skills to convey understanding to a patient/client as a student nurse.
Lecturer instructions: Essay must be 1500 words.
Begin by giving a brief description of this encounter which you had with a patient/client (200 words) .
Please address the following questions (200 words)
What was my role in the encounter?
Did I feel comfortable or uncomfortable? Why?
What skills did I draw on? How did I convey or not convey my understanding to this patient/client during this encounter!
On reflection (350 words):
Were my listening skills appropriate? And could I have improved my listening
skills in this encounter?
What knowledge from theory and research (nursing and psychology) did I draw from, or could I draw from in future, to help me become more effective in my use of listening skills to convey understanding?(ie.Peplau,Watson ,Egan,Rogers,others)
How has my experience of the encounter changed my way of thinking about
listening and how to convey understanding to patients/clients?
What have I learnt, about myself as a student nurse, from this encounter (750 words)
1. Myself (my thinking, feeling, behaviours)?
2. My communication skills?
3. My knowledge, understanding and application of psychological
/nursing/midwifery knowledge to practice (listening skills)?
4. What knowledge and skills do I need to work on to further improve my
communication skills for nursing practice?
5. What was my overall learning from engaging in this reflective project?
Points for students to consider:
1. Please note that this reflective project is asking you about your own personal and professional learning experiences.
Guidelines:
a) Ensure that you maintain confidentiality throughout and that you use pseudonyms
when referring to all people except yourself or to authors you are referring to.
b) Do not include any identifying information e.g., name of hospital, ward, unit etc.
c) Write in the first person when referring to oneself
d) Use third person when drawing on psychological/nursing theory/research/literature
note : this must be a one to one encounter where you were the main listener
Having good communication skills is essential to collaborating on teams with your fellow nurses and colleagues from other disciplines. It’s also important to patient-centered care.
Nurses who take the time to listen and understand the concerns of each of their patients are better prepared to address issues as they arise, resulting in better patient outcomes.
On the other hand, poor communication, or lack of communication in healthcare, can lead to patients misunderstanding directions and failing to follow treatment protocols. It can also lead to workflow breakdowns on the team, resulting in a medical error. A report by the Joint Commission found that poor communication in healthcare during patient transfers contributed to 80% of serious medical errors.
Additionally, patients who have established an open and secure dialogue with a nurse or healthcare provider are more likely to disclose the true extent of their symptoms. According to the book Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication for Nurses by Arnold and Boggs, healthcare communication competency offers a primary means for establishing a trusting, collaborative relationship with patients and families. Interpersonal communication skills influence the quality of decisions made, as well as the level of patient motivation to follow treatment protocols and achieve desired clinical outcomes.