EMPATHY AND SYMPATHY
It have been an easy one in the medical field. We experience a lot of good and of course a lot of tragedic moments. There are times which it feels like everything is becoming fine and Alright and Boom it goes at of hand.
We come in contact with patients we have no trace of being related with and we end up vibing and relating as if we are family, yes! We are family actually. The Job of Nursing is that which requires you as the Nurse to have a strong passion for it; You must love what you are doing, for you to flow with the job, because sometimes, it can be soo frustrating.
While starting the profession at the early stage of training we where told not to Empathize, rather we Sympathize with the patient, patient relations. But one question that always cross my mind is, Does just sympathize with the patient or the patient's relatives be enough? Yes! Everyone have their own different answers to this question.
In as much as the Nursing Job is not an easy one, I don't think these patients love to stay in the hospital with us. I mean, if not that I am a Nurse, I will not be happy coming around the hospital, You get me now? Even the world is hard on these patients and client, if they could do these (treatment and care) by themselves, they won't be in the hospital.
Understanding the pain and concerns of these patients is a strong key to improve and enhance healing and quick recovery. In fact, it is difficult for you to treat a medical case without a confirmed Diagnosis, so that implies to understanding the patient concern and pain.
Sometime ago, during my posting in the hospital, I was on night shift at Accident and Emergency Ward and there was casualties who were rushed to Accident and Emergency Ward, I mean, it was a severe incident of road traffic accident. There was a little boy of about 9 years old, also a victim of the Road Traffic Accident (RTA). Actually looking at him, he was gone already before he was brought to the hospital, that's what we call "Brought In Dead" but we are waiting for doctors confirmations. Thereafter, the doctor confirmed the little boy dead and his mother was heartbroken and the whole world was like a hell on earth for her.
After a while, I wake up to her to reassure her, I tap her and said, "I understand how you feel right now, we are so sorry for your son death" immediately she replied to me; Nurse you don't understand, do you have a son? Have you lost your Only son? These are her questions to me. For a moment I was paralyzed and my body was full of goosebump.
Come to think of it, I don't really understand, because I don't have a child or a son, talk more of losing him to Road Traffic Accident. As a Nurse, this is where Empathy comes to play a role, I was just Sympathizing with her without totally understanding what her state was.
Empathy and Sympathy Works in hand in hand.
Thanks for reading my blog and dropping a thoughtful reply.
