Patient Experience Week is a time to celebrate you: The healthcare heroes who dedicate their lives to supporting, serving, and strengthening their patients. As you reach your goals, you help your patients reach theirs. Improving nursing patient care can transform outcomes for you and your patients.
Let’s explore practical tips you can use to make a difference in the daily experience of your patients. From educating patients and building rapport to going the extra mile to make them feel comfortable, let’s strengthen the success, integrity, and care in the healthcare industry, together.
What is Patient Experience Week?
April 23-29 is Patient Experience Week in 2023! Each year, Patient Experience Week reminds us to improve, inspire, and increase the quality of clinician and nursing patient care.
This week, we recognize the behind-the-scenes efforts our nurses and healthcare heroes offer each day to our patients: You change lives, touch lives, and save lives. By focusing on nursing patient care during Patient Experience Week, you can reignite your motivation as a nurse, grow your career, and uplift your patients’ satisfaction.
How Nurses Play a Vital Role in Patient Experience
This Patient Experience Week, we recognize the crucial role nurses play in patient experience, satisfaction, and outcomes. Truly, nurses are the beating heart of the patient experience! You support your patients’ physical, mental, and emotional needs.
Both clinicians and nurses play integral parts in the patient’s journey. From helping patients understand their medical conditions to fostering a trusting relationship with them, nurses make a lasting impact that extends beyond their time at the facility.
Nursing Patient Care is Personal, Not Just Medical.
Nurses help humanize the patient experience. You can help your patient feel like a person — not just another number. It’s more than simply “hand-holding.” Nursing patient care, alone, can transform a patient’s satisfaction, trust, and experience!
Nurses are Advocates for Patients & Their Families.
Nurses bridge the gap between patients and healthcare facilities. As a nurse, you have the opportunity to establish clear lines of communication, helping your patients feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and needs. Most of all, you can educate patients and their families, supporting positive short-term and long-term outcomes.
Nursing Patient Care Empowers Safety.
Nurses are responsible for monitoring, assessing, and understanding their patients’ needs. As a nurse, prioritizing quality and timely processes can significantly increase patients’ safety, health, and well-being.
4 Tips for Improving Nursing Patient Care
In 2023, Patient Experience Week is all about recognizing and celebrating the impact of clinician and nursing patient care. The role you play matters. As you improve your skills, invest in your knowledge, and inspire your career, you can make a difference in the healthcare industry.
With these helpful tips and examples, you can make a difference in the lives of those you serve, not just during Patient Experience Week but in your career each day. Let’s dive in!
1. Educate to Empower.
When facing difficult health issues, your patients can feel helpless. Everything in their lives can suddenly feel out of control. Equip them with a sense of independence and control over their situation by educating them on their health concerns.
Show them their potential outcomes, options, and opportunities. Give them the resources and tools to make smart, empowered healthcare decisions. Patients deserve the right to be informed every step of the way, and you have the opportunity to uphold this right.
2. Build Trust & Rapport by Going the Extra Mile.
During your nursing job assignment, you hold the power to make a patient’s day simply by being there for them. If given the opportunity to go the extra mile, take it. Pause for a moment and ask what they need. Sit with them, and listen. Learn about them: Their name, their stories, their fears, their goals, and their needs.
For many patients, a trip to a medical facility can be a stressful experience. They often come in with medical conditions they don’t fully understand or are anxious about the outcome of their treatment. As a nurse, you can help your patients feel comfortable and supported every step of the way. That’s why Patient Experience Week is such an important reminder of the impact nurses and clinicians leave on their patients’ lives.
Give your patients a reason to trust you by truly caring for them. The more they trust you, the better the experience is for everyone.
3. Communicate with Clarity, Compassion, & Care.
Communication is key — just ask your patients! Research shows that patients determine the quality and competency of nursing patient care based on their attitude, actions, patience, and of course, ability to listen.
Communication isn’t just about what you say; it’s about how you hear. You can become a stronger advocate for your patients by improving your communication and listening skills. You can better understand and assess their needs, providing higher-quality care simply through clear communication.
4. Call on the Power of Teamwork.
You don’t have to do it alone. Working and collaborating with your fellow nursing staff not only makes the job easier for you but can improve your patient’s experience.
During your nursing job assignment, don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help when you need it. Communicate with your patient, team, and managers for an all-around positive experience.
Grow Your Nursing Career this Patient Experience Week!
As you grow your nursing career, you can expand your impact, build your influence, and strengthen the healthcare industry. Get started by signing up for nursing career growth tips, healthcare news, industry trends, and more in the monthly Clinician Connections Newsletter.
Ready to unleash your opportunities and unlock your next career adventure? Learn more about nursing jobs with CareerStaff. Or, get started by submitting an application. With a plethora of nursing jobs across the nation, it’s time to learn, grow and become the best nurse you can be!