As a healthcare professional, it is important to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses, especially as they apply to your abilities to work with and connect to patients. As a result of the Self-Assessment of Nurse Healers and the Activities for Increasing Self-Awareness (Taylor 61, 65), I am confident in my abilities to connect with my patients, as well as self-aware of the spiritual activities I currently practice. I am also aware of a number of areas for improvement.
I believe that my patients can hear in my voice that I care. I always speak in a kind and caring tone of voice. I try to make them feel safe and that I have time for them. I ask many questions to show that I am concerned with their health and my facial expressions demonstrate interest. I try to communicate compassion through my eyes and smile. I make eye contact while talking to the patient to ensure that they feel seen by me. The patient’s soul tells the caregiver whether he or she is scared, anxious, or comfortable through their eyes. I answer their questions appropriately and listen to their concerns. When caring for patients, my touch is gentle and caring and conveys competence, support, kindness, and respect (Taylor 61).
I currently practice a number of the activities mentioned in the text for increasing self-awareness. The activities are divided amongst six themes: connecting, disconnecting, journeying, transforming, skill acquisition, and washing away (Taylor 65) and I participate in at least one activity form each theme on a regular basis. Connecting with friends, family, and one’s self is equally as important as disconnecting daily distractions. I enjoy connecting with others through letters and phone calls, as well as looking at old photographs to connect to the past and fond memories. Disconnecting helps me to cope with any troubles or stresses in my life, and I do this through meditation in a quiet place. I enjoy “journeying” the most, as I live to walk. Walking helps me to reenergize and makes me happy and able to take on the day. I am not much of a reader or writer, so my journeying is physical rather than imaginative. I love to garden and When I do I feel as though I am restoring order to my life. I enjoy learning new things and acquiring new skills, especially in nursing. Finally, one of the most spiritual places for me is in the shower. I feel relaxed and free as I wash away the problems of the day and restore myself with a clean slate. Deep breathing also helps me to relax and release anxiety and stress (Taylor 65).
My greatest areas of improvement are taking my time and demonstrating that I am fully focused on the patient I am with. Sometimes it is difficult as I have multiple responsibilities to complete and patients to attend to. Stresses from outside of my job or another patient can interfere with my concentration. I do not mean that I lose focus on the task at hand, but rather that I may rush through a task in order to complete it and move on to the next. I am aware that this can sometimes be sensed by a patient, who may feel that they are not my first priority, and I never want my patients to feel that way. It would also be helpful for me to take more time to practice some of the self-awareness activities that I enjoy so much.
These assessments helped me to realize that I have many abilities that help my patients to feel understood and supported, but that I do not always commit my entire focus to the task at hand. They also helped to remind me of the activities that help me to reduce stress and anxiety and promote self-awareness. I enjoy these activities and should take steps to create more time in my life to do them. Overall, these assessments have identified areas of improvement that will help me to become the best nurse healer I can.
References
Taylor, E. J. (2002). Spiritual Care: Nursing Theory, Research, and Practice (1st ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
