Here's how you can utilize empathy to effectively communicate with physicians.

I think many people misunderstand "empathy" here. It's not sympathy, such as "I'm so sorry that your job is so complex and difficult. That must be so hard." Doctors don't want sympathy, but the empathy part is being able to understand and see their world. Like "I know that you struggle to get here right at 8 with patients waiting because you have to get your kid to camp, your portal messages seem to never end, your nurse is out, you haven't had lunch, and you barely have time to pee. Which is why I'm sending this over to you already organized, in bullet points, and I know you can't answer right now. Tomorrow is fine. But hopefully this will help you moving forward." That's empathy. It's understanding their world.

To use empathy to communicate effectively with physicians, start by understanding their perspective and the challenges they face. Practice active listening, which means really paying attention to what the physician is saying without interrupting. Show that you care about their thoughts and feelings by acknowledging their concerns and responding thoughtfully. Using empathy helps build trust, making it easier for both of you to share important information openly. This approach can improve overall communication and improve patient care outcomes.

To use empathy to communicate effectively with physicians, start by understanding their perspective and the challenges they face. Practice active listening, which means really paying attention to what the physician is saying without interrupting. Show that you care about their thoughts and feelings by acknowledging their concerns and responding thoughtfully. Using empathy helps build trust, making it easier for both of you to share important information openly. This approach can improve overall communication and lead to better outcomes for patient care.

By integrating empathy into your communication approach, you can build stronger, more effective relationships with physicians, ultimately leading to better outcomes for all parties involved. Consider the following: 1. Acknowledge their expertise and experience. Respect their knowledge and seek to understand their perspective to create a foundation of mutual respect. 2. Recognize the pressures they face. Show empathy and be patient and considerate in your interactions. 3. Listen actively and without judgment. Pay full attention, don't interrupt, and reflect back what you hear to ensure clarity. 4. Be concise and clear. Demonstrate respect for their time. 5. Offer support and collaboration.

With sympathy you share the feelings as if they are yours and you personally share any suffering feelings. With empathy you understand the feelings of others and can express it to the other where they can acknowledge it is true but you don’t you don’t own the feeling as your own. Sympathetic people go down the drain together. Not good

Be consistent have concise empathetic communication with physicians. Be mindful of MD workload to meet volume of needs. It’s that simple. For the most part nurses realize this, but at times more communication rather than less is always best considering patient acuity. One of the slogans at UNC Hospitals is “communicate, communicate, communicate” and I think it’s a necessary requirement. Time does pass quickly so do be mindful as there are others to tend to, including other patients and physicians. Do be cordial and civil, be best you can. Remember you are there to serve and there are policies to mind. Look for opportunities to help the underserved communities, be charitable (discounts for disabled, ASPCA, dogs on death row), & be kind.