Monday, October 02, 2006

Theory of Care

Here I am again in the Monday theory class of nursing. I am getting the feeling that I have had grooming for nursing school all my life. Today's big lecture is over therapeutic listening. How to listen, how to further conversations with patients and how to give feedback.

I have always thought listening was one of the key aspects of learning to be a person and learning to be a friend. I always thought it was a challenge to listen without harboring preconceived ideas or without having already formulated an "answer" ready for a stream of conversation that hasn't even happened yet. Listening for me is the art of mental stillness; yet the mind must stay completely alert. You have to be still and listen. Whether that be finding pulses on your patient or hearing the words your patient speaks. You have to listen in exactly the moment, you can't get ahead and you can't lag behind. You listen with all your self, all your senses. You also can't decide what is being said before the thoughts are being expressed If you do, you have stopped listening.

Then, what do you do with what you hear? I always like asking more questions.
I know that won't surprise most of you...

No comments: