Working in healthcare takes an immense amount of technical skills especially when you work in direct patient care. After all, if you screw up an important technical task, you could hurt, or even kill someone. But it is important to keep in mind that the tasks almost always involves a human being at the other end.
I can vividly recall how stressful it was to perform my first injections, my first IV starts and first NG tube insertions as a student nurse. I totally focused on the task at hand during those “firsts.” Out of fear that I would mess up and inadvertently hurt my patient.  I’m sure in the beginning, I focused more on the task than on the person on the receiving end. Over time, as I became more proficient and gained confidence, I could safely share my attention between the human interaction and the technical task at hand. That is what many strive for – the balance between technical competence and the ability to relate on a personal level.  Read more...