My First Patient Interview

As part of the nursing program at McMaster, students are encouraged to write reflections on their nursing experiences. This allows for personal growth, skill development and analysis of actions. Our professors stress the importance of literature and story-telling in the medical field, and suggest that we study it further so that we can understand the importance of narrative techniques in nursing. I was very excited when I learned about this, because, as some of you may know, I love to write...especially stories! I decided that writing reflections would give me the perfect opportunity to update my blog, and help me develop my skill set as a nurse.
Therefore, without further ado, I give you my first reflection:

Today I had my very first interview with a standardized patient.
An SP is an actor who is trained to portray a specific character with an illness, for the purpose of nursing education.

This was a very interesting and exciting experience and the interview went very well!

Initially, while waiting outside the hospital simulation room, I started to feel nervous. The windows were tinted and the hallways were silent. I took a deep breath, prayed, and watched the student before me exit the room. Dressed in scrubs, wearing my nursing badge and clipboard in hand, I entered.

For some reason, the moment I saw the SP sitting there, my nerves started to ease. The woman was seated with a neutral expression. I greeted her, introduced myself, took a seat and began my interview. All throughout the interview I felt very relaxed. My questions flowed naturally and I began to enjoy talking to the patient. In the moment, I inquired about multiple aspects of the patient's life simply because I was interested in how those aspects affected her condition. After the interview, my tutor told me that I effortlessly covered all required components extremely well.

The patient herself told me that she thoroughly enjoyed the interview and felt that I was genuinely concerned about her. I was told that I was entirely professional, empathetic, and that I used excellent verbal and non-verbal communication techniques.

My tutor explained that the only aspect I forgot to discuss in the interview was mentioning confidentiality. This makes sense because this occurs in the orientation phase of the interview, and I was slightly flustered before entering the room. However, reminding a patient that an interview is confidential is a very simple component to remember, and I'm very pleased with how the interview went as a whole.

Now that I have interviewed a patient once, I know that I am fully capable of doing it again. My readings and inquiry have thoroughly paid off so far, and I have realized how much I enjoy this aspect of nursing!

In short, I am loving the McMaster nursing program!
There have been so many exciting experiences and I look forward to doing more!