Page 23 - American Nurse Today January 2008

Making a powerful statement of personal commitment
This table shows one way a leader can structure a statement of personal commitment to engage the staff. The first column lists the major components, and the second column provides suggested wording.
Major component
Your commitment (a statement of your personal commitment)
Your rationale (a statement of the compelling benefits for patients, families, and your team)
A pinch of empathy (a statement that shows you realize the commitment may not be easy for people)
Your commitment restated (again, what you want people to achieve)
An appeal for commitment and collaboration (a direct request for their commitment)
Suggested wording
“I am determined that, as a team, we will create an even more healing environment for our patients and their families. Providing care with compassion is what drove me into health care. It’s what makes my work meaningful. We have a real opportunity to make an even bigger difference to our patients. That’s what our strategy for enhancing the patient experience is all about. I’m personally committed to it and excited about the prospects.”
“Patients and families are so vulnerable. They really need us. If we become more effective at showing we care, they will feel better and appreciate us for it. Also, when we effectively communicate our caring, we get more cooperation and feel better about our work.”
“Now, I realize that you have a lot on your plate already, a lot to do and many priorities.”
“Still, I’m convinced this is so important that we have to figure out how to make it happen.”
“I’m personally committed. I’m going to do my all, and I’m asking you to join me in this.”
them, and your work becomes more meaningful. When you practice presence, patients feel they are your sole focus. And this helps them feel supported, less anxious, and grateful. The pivotal skill of pres- ence doesn’t take more time. It makes every moment of connection with the patient precious.
4. Reducing patient anxiety
Borrowing the customer service mindset from the en- tertainment and hospitality trades, many healthcare leaders stress the importance of making patients hap- py. The response of many nurses is something like: “This is health care, not Disney!”
For nurses, the focus should be reducing patient anxiety, not making patients happy. Such a focus stems from compassion and acknowledges that pa- tients aren’t typical customers. Patients and their fam- ilies are burdened by anxiety. With word and deed, nurses can significantly reduce it. At each step of the care process, nurses should focus on what they can do to prevent or reduce the patient’s anxiety. By the way, this approach is not taught in charm school.
5. Your personal calling
Some leaders unknowingly communicate ambiva- lence about the need to improve service. They may sound apologetic about putting more pressure on
their nurses, or they may see the pursuit of better patient satisfaction as a senior management issue. Some leaders claim that most of their nurses don’t need to improve service, and some think nurses barely have time to meet the demands of their jobs.
If you’re a leader, be careful about appearing am- bivalent. If staff members think you’re not serious about improving patient satisfaction, they won’t be either. By viewing customer service as providing care with compassion, you, as leader, can commit
to the improvement initiative and inspire your team to do the same. Consider how to express your com- mitment, so you elevate your team’s commitment. (See Making a powerful statement of personal com- mitment.)
Time to change
It’s time to go beyond customer service and to em- brace care with compassion as the goal. Patients and families rely on nurses to provide the healing envi- ronment they deserve. And nurses rely on their lead- ers to help them provide care with compassion and feel pride in their care. ✯
Wendy Leebov, EdD, is President of Wendy Leebov Inc., a speaker and consultant to healthcare organizations on service excellence and organizational change, an expert on patient satisfaction, and the author of more than 10 books.
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