After CNA training, you will be working with many different patients each an every day. Each one of them will have their own personalities, and some may not be the easiest to care for. However, even in the toughest situations, there are certain things you should never say to your patients.
What NOT To Say To Your Patients After CNA Training
During your CNA training, you are taught to treat each patient with the utmost respect. However, there may be a few times during your CNA training clinical experience and career that you have to bite your tongue.
When these times occur, remember that you don’t get to choose your patients and each one needs you. In order to earn their trust, show your professionalism, and encourage good communication, here are the following phrases that you should never dream of uttering.
Although you should have learned most of this during your CNA training, a refresher is always a good idea.
CNA Training – Did They Teach You What NOT To Do?
- This Won’t Hurt- Imagine this: you are holding a patient’s hand as the nurse delivers a shot or draws blood. Before the needle is placed in the patient’s arm, the worst thing you can possible say is “This won’t hurt.” While many nurses are skilled enough to pull off a blood draw with little to no pain, there is no guarantee that your patient will feel no discomfort at all. Instead, be honest and sincere. Tell them that it may hurt, but it will be over soon.
- Uh oh- You are human, and you will occasionally make mistakes, even with the best CNA training under your belt. These mistakes don’t need to be shared with your patients when they are feeling vulnerable, physically or psychologically. Sudden disruptions in your speech or behavior can make your patient anxious and scared. If the mistake needs to be shared and is not immediately threatening, wait until your patient is feeling better.
- I Understand What You Are Going Through- Even if you have been through similar situations, there is no way you not exactly what your patient is dealing with. This assumption often angers patients, who don’t believe you truly understand. Also, they don’t want to know what you have been through; they want you to focus all of your attention on helping them.
- I’m Busy Right Now- You should have learned in CNA training that you’d be responsible for at least 4 patients during a shift. When a patient stops you, it is very easy to tell them that you are busy at the moment. While this may be true, that does not mean it will not cause irritation. Instead of using this phrase, try to estimate how much time it will take you to return to the patient and give them an approximate number of minutes.
- Wow- No matter what injury you come across or how a person looks, an exclamation of shock and awe is not appropriate. You are a professional, who has undergone CNA training, and your patients are counting on you to take care of them.
- It Could Be Worse- Yes, many of your patient’s illnesses and situations could be much worse. Your patient realizes this, but he doesn’t want to hear that from you. He is focused on his treatment, recovery, and the cost of his treatment. After CNA training, you need to focus on those things as well, instead of what might have been.
- It’s Probably Not Serious- You have been through CNA training. This does not make you a doctor, or even a nurse. Don’t ever tell your patients what you think or don’t think is wrong. Leave the diagnosis up to the doctor.
- It Will All Be Over Soon- Working in hospice after CNA training requires extreme sensitivity. Every patient you work with is in their last days. While many will have accepted the fact that they are dying, you should never elude to this. This is hurtful, and can cause serious emotional harm to both your patients and their families.
You may not be able to choose your patients after CNA training, but you can choose how you speak to them. Always be respectful and professional in every situation, no matter what you are feeling.
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