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Posts Tagged ‘Nurses’

No Pass Zones Support Nurses and Patient Experience

Posted by Kristin Baird on March 12th, 2018 • No Comments »

There is no doubt that nurses carry the bulk of patient care in hospitals. And in today’s world, patients are sicker and stay for shorter periods, meaning that more must be accomplished in a shorter period of time. In addition to medical treatments, there is the education and discharge instructions to ensure positive outcomes. Read more...

Moving Beyond Nurse Tasks for a Better Patient Experience

Posted by Kristin Baird on June 22nd, 2017 • No Comments »

One thing I love about teaching is that I always learn from the students. Over the past several months, my colleagues and I have been nurse coaching and shadowing to improve their rounding techniques with the goal of increasing patient engagement.

This week, we had the chance to speak with a group of nurses we’ve been coaching for the past four months. They have seen a steady increase in their patient satisfaction scores, so we wanted to get their perspectives on what has made the change. Read more...

Avoiding Conflict Can Destroy a Leader’s Credibility

Posted by Kristin Baird on June 8th, 2017 • No Comments »

Leaders who want credibility with their teams won’t achieve that goal by avoiding conflict. In some ways, avoiding conflict is human nature. In fact, the path of least resistance is a law of nature. But that path of least resistance can also slide into avoidance behavior if you aren’t careful.

When I coach leaders, I find that avoidance is the number one accountability killer – especially when they are pointing out the negative. Yet when managers have the right skills and tools, they can learn to overcome avoidance and build a strong culture of accountability. Read more...

Compassion Fatigue Affects Families Too

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 23rd, 2017 • No Comments »

We hear a lot about nurses and providers suffering from compassion fatigue. We care, we empathize, and we have compassion for others. The very thing that drew many of us to a healthcare profession is the same thing that threatens to drain us.

“Compassion Fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.” (Dr. Charles Figley, Paul Henry Kurzweg, Traumatology Institute, Tulane University) Read more...

Nurses Make Lasting Memories

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 9th, 2017 • 1 Comment »

Every day, millions of nurses are interacting with people of all walks of life. And chances are, they’re leaving lasting impressions of compassion, kindness and competence. How do I know this? I ask people to share their stories. They tell stories of nurses going above and beyond. They tell stories of kindness and compassion. They tell stories about empathy and trust. Even though nurses won’t remember each patient that crosses their paths, chances are, the patient and family will. It’s no wonder that they rank as the most trusted profession each year that Gallup conducts its research. Read more...

You Don’t Have to Thrill ALL of Your Customers

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 2nd, 2017 • No Comments »

Years ago, I saw an ad by a state dental association that read, “You don’t have to brush all your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep, rest to be left till the time when a tooth extraction is necessary.” The wisdom of that simple statement applies to the patient experience and hospital culture as well. You don’t have to thrill them all – just the ones you want to keep. But think about how this applies to co-workers and providers too. Using the best waterpik for flossing can help save you time and money at the dentist office. Read more...

Say my name!

Posted by Kristin Baird on April 21st, 2017 • No Comments »

Dale Carnegie said, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” That makes it the strongest connection to their personal identity and individuality. Using a person’s name in conversation lets them know they matter to you. It implies you know them. And nowhere is that more important than in healthcare settings. Patients often have fears that they will be mixed up or confused with another patient and receive the wrong treatment. By using their name consistently, you help to ally those insecurities and reaffirm their importance. Read more...

What’s In It For Me? – Why Nurses Benefit From Frequent Rounding

Posted by Kristin Baird on April 6th, 2017 • No Comments »

I’m a firm believer that nurses are the key to a great patient experience. But in most organizations, we’re seeing a higher acuity level and staffing that stresses many of even the most seasoned nurses. When I talk with nurses about the value of hourly rounds, they often express that they just can’t try to fit one more thing into their days. That’s why it is often difficult to persuade nurses to see the value in hourly rounds. They can buy into the theory, but have difficulty getting past the demands of the current shift. Read more...

Art and Science of Rounding

Posted by Kristin Baird on August 11th, 2016 • No Comments »

There is both art and science involved in communication, especially when it comes to the patient experience. The art is the ability to engage with empathy and compassion. The science is in knowing what information to glean from interactions, and what to share. When done well, rounding provides one of the best opportunities to apply both the art and science of communication.

Organizations that spend time and energy on rounding reap the rewards of higher patient satisfaction, and better clinical outcomes. The challenge is in maintaining consistency in rounding, and using the data gathered during rounds to make improvements. As I’ve suggested before; make sure your leaders know what to do, how to do it and want to do it in order to make rounding stick. Read more...

My “View” on Nursing

Posted by Kristin Baird on September 22nd, 2015 • No Comments »

I don’t usually use this blog to rant about high profile stories. But the discussion held on The View and their ridicule of Miss Colorado really ticked me off. For Kelley Johnson to share her talent on stage in front of millions of viewers was an extraordinary act of courage and one that I hope will change many of the fallacies about this profession.

Misconceptions about nurses and nursing abound, and I vowed years ago that I would do what I could to help educate the world about who and what we really are. Read more...

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Posts Tagged ‘Nurses’