Are you looking for place to read full E-Books without downloading? You can also read and download new and old full E-Books. DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK FOR FREE
Did you hear that the British government is recommending that all UK nurses take a pledge in which they reaffirm their compassion for their clients? Apparently, the recommendation stems from a British study that determined that the public does not view nurses as caring individuals. For anyone in the nursing field, it's tough to balance caring for clients with maintaining a professional relationship. How about your CNAs? Do they know that maintaining a professional distance does not require them to harden their hearts or build walls between their clients and themselves? Here is some information you can share with your nursing assistants during your next CNA inservice meeting.
Maintaining a Professional Distance with Your Clients
As health care workers, you are expected to understand your clients' needs, put yourselves in their shoes and care about what happens to them. Yet, you are also expected to maintain a professional distance while you provide client care. What exactly does this mean?
To maintain a professional distance, you should:
Recognize that your relationships with your clients are professional, not personal.
Behave in a caring manner, always putting your clients' needs above your own.
Let's face it. It's hard to work in health care without getting emotionally involved in clients' lives. As nursing assistants, you run a high risk of getting overly involved with clients. Why? Because you have repeated contact with the same clients. You care for your clients' most basic needs. And, you spend more time with clients than any other member of the health care team. Sometimes, the professional distance between you and your clients can break down slowly, without you even realizing it.
For example, have you ever:
Spent extra time with a favorite client?
Visited a client when you are off duty?
Counseled a client about his or her personal life?
Shared private details about your life with a client?
Doing any of these things-even if you mean well-may do your clients more harm than good. It may also cause you to develop job "burn out". Keep reading to learn more about maintaining a professional distance.
Personal VS Professional Relationships
Your relationships with your clients are professional, not personal. They need you to provide their care in a friendly manner-but that does notmean you are friends.
When people are friends, they have an emotional commitment to each other-and the relationship meets both of their needs. In a professional relationship, the focus is on the client. Only the client's needs are important.
Remember...the goal of a professional relationship is to prepare the client and family for the time when they will no longer need your help!
Here are six comparisons between personal and professional relationships:
PERSONAL:
No one is paid to be part of a personal relationship.
Personal relationships may last a lifetime.
Personal relationships can take place anywhere, anytime.
People in a personal relationship are equally responsible for keeping the relationship going.
There is no special training required to be part of a personal relationship.
People choose how much or how little time they wish to spend in a personal relationship.
PROFESSIONAL:
Clients pay for the care they receive from health care workers.
Professional relationships last only as long as a client needs help.
Professional relationships take place within a healthcare setting. (In home care, the client's home becomes a health care setting.)
Health care workers are responsible for developing and maintaining professional relationships with their clients.
Health care workers are trained to take part in professional relationships with their clients.
The time spent in a professional relationship is determined by each client's plan of care.
It Takes Courage to Care
Showing that you care does take courage. Remember...as a health care worker, you are in a tough position. It's difficult to provide quality client care without getting emotionally involved in some way. Yet, the more you care about your clients, the more you risk being hurt if a client takes a turn for the worse.
Caring about clients who are dying takes real courage. It may be hard for you to see people who are in physical and/or emotional pain. Perhaps you have memories of a family member who died, so you try not to care when you lose a client.
On the other hand, it takes courage to care about clients as they get better. Think about it. Doesn't it feel good to be needed? When clients start needing you less, you might find yourself pulling away from them.
It also takes courage to care about a client who has an unpleasant personality or who is grumpy. For example, isn't it easier to care about a sweet old man who thanks you for everything you do than it is to care about a grumpy old woman who never seems to be satisfied?
If you're like most nursing assistants, you got into health care to help people and to make a difference in their lives. Your work takes strong muscles, a big heart and lots of courage!
.Are you looking full ebook about this topicGet Full Ebook For This Article
