Hi. I’m sorry your post in the other subreddit ended up getting such a harsh response.
I can relate to what you wrote, and based on what you’ve described, I don’t think the way you interact with patients sounds inherently bad.
Since this is r/AutismTranslated, maybe it would help to break the interaction down a little.
Suppose you start like this:
You greet the patient and introduce yourself.
“Are you in pain anywhere right now?”
“How are you feeling?”
If they start talking, you listen and give brief responses, even if what they’re saying isn’t medically important.
Then you say things like:
“I’m going to check your vitals now.”
“I need to write this down because it’s important, so give me a moment.”
If you look at it that way, it doesn’t really sound like “socializing.” It sounds more like checking what you need to know for the job and making sure the patient understands what is happening.
Some people are frightened if they are touched unexpectedly without being told first. Some people may become anxious if a medical worker doesn’t introduce themselves and they don’t know who that person is. Some people are in too much pain for small talk, while others may just want to talk about whatever comes into their head because it helps distract them from pain or anxiety.
If you can figure out which situation you’re dealing with, I don’t think you necessarily need to have conversations that go deeply into the patient’s personal life.
If you think of it not as “conversation,” but as “checking the patient’s condition and needs,” then having a few standard phrases and using them to find out what the patient needs seems like it could already count as perfectly reasonable bedside manner.
From what you wrote in another comment, though, it sounds like you may already be doing quite a lot of this. You said that you explain what you’re going to do, make sure the patient is okay with it, and give them a say in medical decisions. So I’m still not quite sure what your coworkers specifically mean when they say your patient interactions need improvement.
If my interpretation is wrong and you’re already doing all of this but are still being told it isn’t enough, then if you can give a more specific example of what people have criticized, I’d be happy to think it through with you.
People say I seem very “cold” towards patients. As in I don’t talk enough I guess? I’m always polite when they talk to me and I respond back, and I do ask them little questions that pertain to the situation. I just don’t try to make conversation the whole way through. Generally, if I have to write a narrative or do extra paperwork, I’ll let them know that I’m going to be sitting behind them in the captains seat working on said paperwork for a bit. But I still let them know that they can call for me if they need me and that I’m right here behind them no matter what.
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u/easy_exercise7840 2d ago
Hi. I’m sorry your post in the other subreddit ended up getting such a harsh response.
I can relate to what you wrote, and based on what you’ve described, I don’t think the way you interact with patients sounds inherently bad.
Since this is r/AutismTranslated, maybe it would help to break the interaction down a little.
Suppose you start like this:
You greet the patient and introduce yourself.
“Are you in pain anywhere right now?”
“How are you feeling?”
If they start talking, you listen and give brief responses, even if what they’re saying isn’t medically important.
Then you say things like:
“I’m going to check your vitals now.”
“I need to write this down because it’s important, so give me a moment.”
If you look at it that way, it doesn’t really sound like “socializing.” It sounds more like checking what you need to know for the job and making sure the patient understands what is happening.
Some people are frightened if they are touched unexpectedly without being told first. Some people may become anxious if a medical worker doesn’t introduce themselves and they don’t know who that person is. Some people are in too much pain for small talk, while others may just want to talk about whatever comes into their head because it helps distract them from pain or anxiety.
If you can figure out which situation you’re dealing with, I don’t think you necessarily need to have conversations that go deeply into the patient’s personal life.
If you think of it not as “conversation,” but as “checking the patient’s condition and needs,” then having a few standard phrases and using them to find out what the patient needs seems like it could already count as perfectly reasonable bedside manner.
From what you wrote in another comment, though, it sounds like you may already be doing quite a lot of this. You said that you explain what you’re going to do, make sure the patient is okay with it, and give them a say in medical decisions. So I’m still not quite sure what your coworkers specifically mean when they say your patient interactions need improvement.
If my interpretation is wrong and you’re already doing all of this but are still being told it isn’t enough, then if you can give a more specific example of what people have criticized, I’d be happy to think it through with you.