Whether people are suffering from pain or illness or just want to have a physician make sure their health is where it should be, going to medical facilities can be nerve-racking. Patients can greatly benefit from medical professionals who both listen and explain things well. That’s why patient communication is of vital importance for anyone considering entering the healthcare field.
At Prism Career Institute, our practical nursing and medical assistant programs each provide students with more than just medical knowledge. Let’s take a deeper dive into what it means to communicate with your patients.
What Do Patient Communications Entail?
While simply talking to patients may technically count as communication, physicians and other medical professionals need to do more than say “Hello” to help make each appointment a success. The healthcare industry relies a lot on communication because it is the easiest way for medical professionals to understand what the patients are going through, diagnose their conditions, and find the right treatment options. It is even suggested that effective communication during visits can have a positive influence on recovery, pain control, patient satisfaction, and psychological functioning.
Successful communication between patients and healthcare professionals requires nurses and medical assistants to practice active listening. This means you’ll not only hear the words your patients are saying but also understand their thoughts and feelings through their words. Being able to notice their body language can help give you subtle clues that may make problems easier to diagnose. You’ll also benefit from controlling your emotional responses. This will help patients continue to open up rather than worry about how you’ve reacted to their information.
It is equally important that medical professionals can communicate information back to patients. This means that you’ll want to avoid overly complex medical terminology or at least be able to put it in basic, digestible terms they can understand. It is also a good idea to not come off as pessimistic when discussing a patient’s outlook. Even if a negative outcome is possible, it’s best to keep their spirits up until more is known.
Why Is Good Patient Communication Necessary?
Medical professionals like practical nurses and medical assistants have to manage patient interactions every day, so there’s a lot to be gained from effective communication, including:
Keeping Patients Comfortable
There are few times when people go to medical facilities and don’t have any nerves. Communicating properly with patients can help put their minds at ease. Whether you can answer all their questions or help them take an optimistic approach to their recovery, allowing them to leave feeling better about their situation is a valuable trait for anyone attempting a career in healthcare.
Better Diagnoses
If you can better understand your patients, it may help make their conditions easier to diagnose. Whether they have shown subtle hints of a virus that’s going around or are taking medications that don’t interact with one another, professionals can take a lot away from a simple conversation. You’ll also be able to pinpoint their problem by asking the right questions, something that you’ll learn from proper training and experience in the field.
Building Trust
The relationship between patients and their healthcare professionals shouldn’t be overlooked. If patients feel they are seen and heard by nurses, medical assistants, and doctors, they’ll be more likely to be honest. This could wind up being lifesaving as even seemingly insignificant details could help medical staff discover the root of the problem.
Our Medical Assistant and Practical Nursing Programs
At Prism Career Institute, we recognize how important your education is to your future. That’s why we hire experienced instructors who are ready to pass their knowledge and skills down to you. Our students will enjoy detailed lectures and hands-on training to prepare them for life in the industry. Our medical assistant school even provides externship hours, allowing students to learn from active medical assistants and work with real-life patients. We’ll help you become proficient in practical nurse or medical assistant responsibilities, making it easy for you to transition into the workforce.
Make Your Choice Today
If you want a career that helps people, the medical field is the way to go. At Prism Career Institute, our programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Cherry Hill and West Atlantic City, New Jersey, are designed to help you get clinical training and learn the patient communication skills you need to excel at your job. We provide financial aid to help you find ways to afford payments, and our career services department will work with you to prepare you for interviews and find opportunities for employment after you’ve completed your program. Contact us today if you have any questions or are ready to enroll.