When a client asks for information about meditation, the nurse should respond with an open mind and a heart of compassion. The response should come from the heart and be nonjudgmental. This is the heart of compassion, the part that says, “I feel your pain. I see your struggle. I can make this easier for you.
The nurse should also respond with a sincere smile that says, “It’s important to get the best possible care for your patient.” If the response is something like, “I’m sorry, I’m not qualified to make that decision,” then the nurse should say, “I’m not qualified either.
To be effective, your response to a client’s request for information should feel “natural” and come out of the heart. If it doesn’t, it’s time to re-evaluate your relationship with the client. In other words, don’t judge.
If your response is like, Im sorry, Im not qualified to make that decision, then you should definitely be concerned. The more you get into your client and really show a genuine interest in what she needs, the more people will know that the nurse can make that decision. But you should be as honest as you can, so that you get the best possible care for your client.
So what do you think the nurse should do? If your response is like, Im sorry, I dont know that much about that, and I am not qualified to make either of those decisions, then you should definitely be concerned. The more you get into your client, the more people will know that you can make both of those decisions. But you should be as honest as you can when you respond, so that you get the best possible care for your client.
I’m not sure how we can be sure that someone is qualified to make either of those decisions, but I’m pretty sure that being honest with your client is at least a good idea. So be honest and be sure to ask questions.
We’ve all been in situations where we felt like we couldn’t be honest with our clients. I mean, how embarrassing is it to ask your client “How do you feel about X?” or “Can you tell me about this,” or “do you feel more comfortable with that?” etc.
That said, you want to be sure that your client really understands what you are asking. This might not be the best time to ask, but you can ask, “Would you like to try meditating?” instead. If the client says no, you should offer a couple of other options. First, you can offer to do the same thing and then let them know that you are still going to work with them on a regular basis.
You should never say no to your client. You should always be polite and respectful. But if you decide that you do not want to meditate, you can always offer to meditate with them. Then you can ask them what they think about meditation. If they say they like it, or they don’t mind that you are a nurse, you can always put that in the question.
You can always say that meditation is not for everyone. It might be better for a specific group of people who are not in an emotional state of intense concentration. But if you tell your client that, they may feel that it was not the best time to mention meditation, because they already feel that you are not ready to be a good friend.