As a new nurse, I find myself very task-oriented. On top of trying to knock out my to-do list for the shift, I also find that I inevitably get involved in situations that mandate a lot of my attention and the expertise of my colleagues, leaving minimal time for downtime with my patients.
I quickly learned that because our day can be unpredictable, any minute of our undivided attention to actually hearing what our patients want/need to share will mean more to them than we believe.
So, on this day, I came into one of my patients’ rooms empty handed. No meds to give, IV fluids to hang, etc. I just came to sit and talk.
He shared with me stories about his family, personal life, and his road to becoming a health care professional himself. He had accomplished so much in his lifetime and still had more to give to his family & others.
In the midst of our conversation, he also gave me words of encouragement when he learned that I was new to practice.
We give but we also take from these Take 5 moments with our patients. They are my inspiration to keep moving forward in order to achieve the goals I have for myself as a new grad.
– Julie Le, BSN, RN
*Julie is a clinical nurse at WakeMed Raleigh Campus.
About the Take 5 Program at WakeMed
The Take 5 program was designed by a nursing unit council to demonstrate the impact that nurses/staff can have in improving patient satisfaction and experiences.
With the “Take 5” concept, WakeMed nurses set aside time on each shift (five minutes) to sit with their patients to talk about non-task-related topics. Nurses are then encouraged to write a brief narrative about one of their experiences to be submitted each month for review.
For additional information about the Take 5 program at WakeMed, send us an email. Interested in a nursing career at WakeMed? Learn more here.
