Leaning in to Self-Awareness to Lead on Patient Care: 3 Ideas for Excellence
Knowing Self-Aware Leadership
Hello KSKOers
Welcome to today’s edition where we’re joined by the fabulous , the Travelling Nurse! There are lots of studies about the impact of the self-awareness of health professionals' self-awareness has on their behaviour and consequently, on their patient’s wellbeing and recovery. Being that Michelle has a very interesting healthcare career, I really wanted to explore what self-awareness means to Michelle and how it impacts her patients. So, read on to discover more about travel nursing, self-awareness and how it fits into Michelle’s work-life and her patients’ lives!
We’re looking forward to having you on our learning journey!
Who’s Who?
Michelle is a case management travel nurse who has 30 years of nursing experience in a multitude of specialities including triage, home infusion, marketing, leadership, case management and utilisation review. She has a Master of Science in Nursing Informatics and is a Certified Case Manager.
Michelle writes a really interesting newsletter, Travel Nurse Escapades, all about her travel nursing experiences and what life is like as she heads out on the road across America, bringing together her nursing skills and her love for travel.
A Travel Nurse
So, what is a travel nurse? Well, a travel nurse is hired by a Travel Nurse Agency to address temporary staffing shortages at medical facilities. Typically, assignments last 13.5 weeks. Many travel nurses take advantage of these opportunities to explore new places. If there’s a continuing staffing need, contracts can be extended for another 13.5 weeks. This extension period is often an ideal time for nurses to take time off to travel or relax between contracts. If the contract isn’t extended, the nurse moves on to a new facility, gaining new experiences in different hospitals and locations as they go.
🟡 Nia: What made you decide to pursue travel nursing?
🔵 Michelle: I became interested in travel nursing when I learned of it while obtaining my initial nursing degree back in the 90s. It sounded so appealing to be able to experience new places to live and work on a short-term basis.
Although travel nursing was always in my mind, wonderful life events happened and I was unable to implement that particular plan. My mindset changed swiftly about all things life related after recovering from a serious bicycle accident. I was very fortunate to be able to recover from it 100% both mentally and physically in about 5-6 months.
While I had a fabulous job at the time, once I recovered from the accident I knew I had to pursue the goals I had been placing on the back burner pre-accident. My mindset changed into positive self-motivation after my recovery. Therefore, I tossed the dice, was able to land a recruiter and the travel nurse lifestyle was implemented.
🟡 Nia: Tell us about your role as a travel nurse
🔵 Michelle: My current role is as a hospital based case manager. It involves:
visiting the patients on the daily caseload to obtain an initial assessment.
determine what the patient's health, lifestyle, living arrangements and abilities to manage themselves were prior to admission.
discuss the discharge options and obtain their preference for a safe discharge plan after hospitalization.
Once that is identified, I move forward with implementing that plan so that it is in place when they are medically stable for discharge.
🟡 Nia: If I asked you to define self-awareness, what would you say?
🔵 Michelle: Self-awareness is an extremely important tool to have and continue to develop throughout one’s life. It is necessary for one to understand, establish, maintain, grow and tweak their self-awareness as new situations or experiences are encountered. This occurs by reflecting on situations, communications and/or physical behaviors one may perform or observe of another. Self-awareness can act as a pause button at times so one can “read the audience” when communicating to establish diplomacy whenever possible.
I wrote a newsletter which reflects personal self-awareness along with social observations on a flight. I suspect one could glean an understanding of my personal self-awareness after reading it.
🟡 Nia: In my research, I found a lot of examples of research that had been carried out in the healthcare space confirming that the self-awareness of healthcare professionals, and consequently their behaviour, impacts greatly on their patients. What are your thoughts on how you impact your patients?
🔵 Michelle: My goal is to have a positive and productive impact with all my patients. One way I accomplish that is by being an active listener and a patient advocate.
The patient is the decision-maker. There are many times when family members wish to determine what is best for the patient. While this can be cultural and the patient is in agreement with family member’s making their healthcare decision. There are many times when families are “stepping in” to attempt to make decisions for the patient and he or she does not wish for that to occur. In those instances, it is necessary to act as a patient advocate to determine if:
The patient wishes for the family member to be communicated with about their medical care and discharge plan
What does the patient wish to happen upon discharge from the hospital
A common example seen in the hospital setting is alcohol and/or substance abuse. Family members are, understandably, wanting their loved one to be cured and are desperate for the staff to send said loved one to rehab upon discharge from the hospital. While that is a positive viable option, the patient is the decision-maker on the topic. Many, many, many times, this nurse has been informed by patients that they do not want to go. That is their choice. I still offer them resources if they should change their mind. Some accept and some decline. Also their choice.
🟡 Nia: How do you develop trust with your patients, particularly when your stay in their communities are short term?
🔵 Michelle: Developing trust with patients occurs during our first meeting. I present respectfully to each patient/family member with the basics. Saying hello, identifying who I am and what my role is. If there are friends or family in the room, I ask the patient “is now an okay time to ask some questions?” Necessary question in general second to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA (a bit like GDPR in the UK), but also adds to the trust build between case manager and patient. They know I’m respectful of their time and privacy.
Once our conversation has been completed, I will reiterate my understanding in summary to insure I haven’t misunderstood anything discussed.
Lastly, I follow through with providing the patient updates, documentation, changes and anything that is occurring regarding his or her discharge plan so they are well informed. No one wants to be in the hospital. I find communication, communication and more communication are essential in the medical field. It takes a village.
3 Ideas for Excellence in Patient Care
Short term contracts in different places aren’t that common in the UK, and I think it’s an amazing way to see the world whilst also giving back to the community and humanity in general. Here are my three ideas for excellence from my interview with Michelle
Emphasise Active Listening and Patient Advocacy
Active listening and patient advocacy are crucial. Healthcare professionals need to engage in meaningful conversations to understand patients' health history, lifestyle, and preferences. They need to respect their autonomy and support their decisions, even if those decision might not be a family’s obvious choice. Always provide resources and alternatives, ensuring patients feel empowered and informed about their choices.
Develop Trust Through Respectful and Clear Communication
Establishing trust begins with respectful and transparent communication. Clearly introducing yourself and your role to the patient and any family members sets that clear bar of respect and transparency. Always ask for permission before discussing sensitive information to respect privacy and maintain confidentiality. Regularly update and summarise discussions to ensure mutual understanding - play back what you’ve heard is a helpful way of clarifying situations, wants and needs. Keeping patients informed and involved in their care decisions builds trust and reassures them that their well-being is your top priority.
Foster Self-Awareness and Reflective Practice
Michelle’s advice is to continuously develop your self-awareness to enhance patient care. Reflect on interactions and behaviours to understand their impact on patient relationships. Use reflection to pause and assess situations, ensuring diplomatic and empathetic communication. Encourage a culture of self-awareness within the healthcare team to improve care delivery. Practices like journaling and reflecting on patient interactions can identify areas for growth, for you and others, leading to more compassionate and effective care.
The Last Word
Michelle’s insights as a Travel Nurse emphasise the importance of self-awareness, patient advocacy and clear communication. Her approach shows that building trust, even when the placements are short-term, relies on active listening, respect and supporting patient to remain in control of the decisions about their health. By regularly reflecting on interactions, healthcare professionals can strengthen patient relationships and improve their health outcomes, which, whether we’re the professional or the patient, we all want.
Here’s another article that I wrote with a healthcare professional on a similar subject that you’ll definitely want to read!
Get exclusive articles and excerpts from ‘The Self-Awareness Superhighway: Charting Your Leadership Journey’. You can subscribe for £4 per month or you can get 12 months for the price of 11 if you subscribe for a whole year!
HAPPINESS AT WORK
🤩 On the 25th September I’ll be hosting a webinar to celebrate International Week of Happiness at Work: Drive Self-Aware Leadership: Fuel a Happy Workplace from 4pm - 5pm BST. Join me to discover, explore and grow! Book through eventbrite.
🤩 Did you know that the next face to face Chief Happiness Officer training is happening in Prague, 10th-12th October? Book your spot to ensure you get a place.
🤩 On the 14th and 15th, it’s the Happiness at Work Live Conference. Get your tickets now!
Grow Your Show
If you’d like to advertise your services, resources and expertise on The Knowing Self Knowing Others Podcast or the Knowing Self-Aware Leadership Newsletter, you can now purchase perfect packages here. Terms and conditions apply!
Nia is an expert leader who talks the talk and walks the walk. She is an academically awarded thought leader in self-aware leadership and practices self-aware leadership every single day in her role as a Director in a Children’s Charity.
Find out more about Self-Aware Leadership by getting your very own copy of The Self-Awareness Superhighway now!
 | A guest post by
|