How to Keep Your Patients Comfortable and Optimistic as a CNA

Working in healthcare is more than simply understanding medical issues and how to treat them. As a CNA, part of the job is being a source of support for your patients. If they are in the hospital, chances are, they aren’t having a great time right now. Health issues or injuries bad enough to warrant a hospital stay can be scary and stressful. It is important that medical staff can put patients at ease and help them stay optimistic.?

CNAs should build positive relationships with patients. This not only benefits patients’ mental and emotional health, but makes it easier for them to discuss their concerns with you. It also helps you gather important information for their charts. Even more, it makes your role as a CNA meaningful, fulfilling, and satisfying. This kind of relationship with your patients will help you remember to see each patient as an individual person.?

How Can CNAs Keep their Patients Comfortable and Optimistic??

There are many important things to remember as CNAs. Above all, the most important one is being authentic and treating every patient like a human being. Here are a few tips to help you ensure patients stay comfortable in your care.?

Listen

Be an active listener. One of the many ways to put people at ease is to make them feel like they’re being heard. Don’t cut them off or ignore their questions. If they have something they need to discuss or have questions, take the time to listen.?

Also, don’t just listen simply to provide an answer. Wait to formulate an answer until you have heard everything they have to say. Pause a moment after they finish to ensure they are done, and then answer. Repeat back the key points they said so they have a chance to correct or clarify any miscommunication.?

Be Welcoming

Being in a medical environment makes many people feel uneasy. Creating a positive environment is essential to helping patients feel comfortable. It’s much easier to get to know a patient who’s at ease. Be friendly and polite without being overwhelmingly cheerful.?

Be Positive

Staying positive when you are dealing with people’s issues can be challenging. No matter how hard it is, it pays off in the end. Staying positive, always greeting patients with a smile, and exuding a relaxed demeanor help patients keep calm and comfortable.?

However, be careful to avoid straying into toxic positivity. It’s important to acknowledge and deal with the existence of negative emotions. You can’t pretend that they don’t exist, but you don’t have to wallow in them, either. Part of staying positive is acknowledging that bad things happen, but it doesn’t have to keep you down forever.?

Take Care of Yourself

When you spend your entire career taking care of other people, you have to take time to care for yourself as well. Care and compassion are not endless wellsprings if you aren’t taking time to fill yourself up again. Take time to rest and look after your own emotional well-being. It will help you stay optimistic so you can pass it on to each patient you encounter. Taking care of yourself ensures that you can present the best version of who you are to your patients. This, most of all, will help put them at ease.?

Get Hired as a Certified Nursing Assistant with CynaMed

If you are looking for healthcare jobs in the greater Pittsburgh area, CynaMed matches professionals with medical facilities. Whether you are a certified nursing assistant, RN, CNA, or Medication Technician, we are here to help you find what you need. Contact us to learn more and check out more nursing resources.?