tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134692655110064772.post3907748442137590026..comments2015-06-24T03:10:51.317-07:00Comments on Director's Diary: Week 7: Does Nursing Have A Self-Image Problem?David Foordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02594506445066736881noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134692655110064772.post-24478549464098269272014-03-29T14:49:30.873-07:002014-03-29T14:49:30.873-07:00Thanks for your open and honest comments Rachel. ...Thanks for your open and honest comments Rachel. No confession needed for the retweet; I wasn't trying to 'trap' or 'trick' people into it, just keen to explore and understand what was important to them. The debate that this has opened up on Twitter has been (and continues to be) really interesting. The one thing that has struck me most, but not surprised me is the passion shown in the conversation. The debate will continue and your contribution is really gratefully received.David Foordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02594506445066736881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134692655110064772.post-58042071440515685892014-03-29T03:52:18.784-07:002014-03-29T03:52:18.784-07:00Hands up, I'm one of the ones who retweeted an...Hands up, I'm one of the ones who retweeted and favourited that tweet. But I have to say I've been thinking about ever since. Is "love" the correct word/term ? The feeling you have with a patient when they are at their lowest or most vunerable, for a split second I think you can feel more than just compassion and empathy. It's almost a split second of "love" but it's certainly not long lasting. Having been a patient feeling incredibly vunerable and frightened, the one thing I felt lacking in my care was compassion, no one came and sat with me to explain what was going on. However nursing proceedures were carried out with military precision. Maybe it was assumed that because I was a nurse I didn't need reassurance/compassion. Could I have complained? How do you complain when all that was lacking in your "care" was compassion? I think to cut a long story short (!!!!) You need both, maybe this is why nurses are getting a bad press, many focus on one and not the other. To me they are symbiotic! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17671452310560142566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134692655110064772.post-42634761711998142262014-03-28T15:58:02.698-07:002014-03-28T15:58:02.698-07:00Thank you so much for your comments. I agree many ...Thank you so much for your comments. I agree many of these skills & attributes can be taught and learnt. David Foordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02594506445066736881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134692655110064772.post-67359368876205806492014-03-28T15:31:08.218-07:002014-03-28T15:31:08.218-07:00I think we have a danger of being ONLY the angel, ...I think we have a danger of being ONLY the angel, the compassionate one, the one that cries with patients. I can honestly say I have only cried with one patient, when in training, at the patients request. I view myself as a competent professional. I listen, empathise, advocate but I am competent in a narrow area of practice and fully admit that to my patients. We are still struggling with the professional vs vocational issue, and images - self or otherwise - as an angel play into that, I think.<br /><br />You can teach dignity, body language, compassion. I know, because it was taught to me in my placements. A gently reproving look, a correction of practice, an explanation - these things teach us how to practice the profession of nursing. You can't teach if someone won't learn, and that person would be best leaving the profession perhaps :) Sally-Anne Wherryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12301629573664362997noreply@blogger.com