Communication Tips – Your Nursing Team

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Who You’ll Hear

Kati Kleber, MSN RN – Nurse educator, former cardiac med-surg/stepdown and neurocritical care nurse, author, and speaker.

What You’ll Learn

• Your Team
• Touching Base
• Check in
• Follow up
• When something goes wrong
• Personalities

Communication Tips – Your Nursing Team Show Notes

• Your team can be CNAs, nurse colleagues, medical unit receptionists
• Touch base at the beginning of the day, especially with anyone you’ll work closely with
  • “Heaviest” patients
  • Chatty patients
  • Sensitive situations
  • When you’re doing baths / traveling off the unit
  • Simply see how they’re doing (having a tough day, on the top of their game)
• Check-in continually throughout the day
  • How are you doing? 
  • Red / yellow /green
    • What can I do to help you get to green?
  • Make sure you’re each getting a break
• When your level of urgency changes, tell people 
• Don’t just rush around, let people know you need support
• People typically want to help, but just can’t always sense subtle changes
• Provide the opportunity for them to support you
• Pay attention to non-verbals
  • Maybe they’re frustrated/hurt/mad but don’t know how to bring it up
  • Could be you… but most likely an MD, patient, family, etc.
• If you’re not sure what to say, verbalize what you see.
  • “Hey I noticed you’re kind of keeping to yourself today – you doing ok?”
  • “Hey it looks like you’re running around like crazy, is there any way I can help you?”
• Follow up
  • When someone was behind and you helped, see if they’re still ok later
  • If a patient wasn’t doing so hot, check in later to see if things improved
  • If they were mad about how a doc spoke to them, circle back to see if they’re feeling better
• When something goes wrong
• Be business-like – it’s not personal, it’s about the patient ultimately 
• Educate on the correct method
  • “Hey I noticed you documented that this patient did active ROM. He’s actually paralyzed so charting that isn’t so hot. You want to make sure not to copy and paste because it might not be accurate. I got dinged on that before with a chart audit and want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you!”
• Reflect insubordination
  • If someone needs to do something but won’t, just rephrase so they can hear how ridiculous they sound
    • “So a patient needs to go to the restroom and no one else is available to take them, but you will not because they are not your patient? Is that correct?”
• Take some time to learn personalities
  • Some people will be go-getters, some will need a fire lit to go above and beyond – learn this and adjust you expectations accordingly
  • If you need support or encouragement, learn who is best to get that from… don’t go to the nurse who catastrophize things
• Ignore gossip
• Don’t response, disengage
• Make things into a joke when it gets inappropriate
• Be thankful – say thanks all the time

More Resources for Communication Tips – Your Nursing Team

• Email List Sign Up
• New Nurses Master Class
• Preceptor Pro