Patience and Patients
An article by Ms.Bhuvana Iyer
While the Word Geeks would call it a “Homonym”, patience and patients are like twins but inseparable. Patience is the main requisite for a heath care professional dealing with patients.
Patience is a virtue. It comes naturally to some but for others, it is an invaluable skill that has to be developed over a period of time. You need patience to develop that skill called “patience”.
Patients usually come to us at Covai’s PolyCare with some health problems that cause them discomfort. Our duty is to provide them the “care” and “comfort” that they require.
So, how do we develop patience?
There is no “One size fits all” in the “Care” industry. The first Patient who walks in and the last Patient who walks out are entirely different.
Individualizing care that fits our patients’ need is one of the key requirements to develop patience. Showing our empathy and finding solutions to their health problems, cuts down most of their issues by 40-50%.
Let’s start with a simple smile Ah!! Smile, many of us have forgotten about the magic spell it creates, as we got older. You would have noticed that the kids are always happy and hence are smiling all the time. They do not have worries. That is why automatically we enjoy their company. So let’s pass on the same feeling to our patients too.
I will share a secret with you. If you smile, actually that smile comes back to you. In a way it is infectious, eh, try it today and you will be surprised how your smile comes back to you by the end of the day (email me if it didn’t!) Talking about smile, sense of humour goes a long way in easing pain of our patients. It helps the patients to feel at ease. Trust me this actually works! Of course, it has to be used in moderation and also dependent on the person whom you are dealing with at that moment. Humour at inappropriate time will evoke anger and not laughter!
Now comes your soothing words and kind gestures displaying your patience. When you show someone you really care, it means a lot to them. You need to be passionate to show your compassion. While it is hard to maintain a cool head due to pressure from all sides, it is not impossible. You will slowly start noticing that your kind gesture makes a huge difference to the patients. They get the true care that they need and, feel very happy about it. That in turn would make you say proudly, “Yes I did it” with your closed fist, like our Tennis players after winning a game to set or match
In my opinion, if you remember why you are working in a Healthcare Unit, you will be able to continue giving quality care to every patient patiently. They need your “Care.” Patience with Patients pays off big time.
At Covai’s PolyCare, we have that in abundance. Every member works so hard patiently from morning to night to ensure that every patient gets due respect and utmost care all the time. Most of the patients who come, want to adopt our Nurses working at PolyCare!. We have to literally tell them with all the patience at our command, “Sorry, but we need them here at PolyCare”.