Would you consider yourself to be a good nurse? If I would ask this question of nurses around the world, they all would have the same answers; of course “I am a good nurse”. Often when we are speaking of a good nurse, we are usually referring to the nurse’s professional skills, but amazingly over the years as a nurse I have come to realize patients have a completely different definition of a “good nurse”.  It’s been said that people do not care about how much you know as much as they want to know how much you care, and it is from that specific point of view that I believe patients use to rate their level of satisfaction in describing a good nurse.

 As a young pediatric nurse, I used to believe that the best thing that I can do for a patient is to make sure that I provide the correct medications, proper treatments, and follow policies and procedures to the teeth. It did not take me long to realize that the more I focus on these matters the more hostile, and frustrated that my parents and patients were with me .  Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say, performing these skills with excellence is necessary for good nursing care, but what matters most to people is not how well you can do your job, but also how much their basic needs are being met.  I worked in a pediatric intensive care unit for many years, and so many times I would hear parents complaining how much I was starving their gravely ill children, and failed to understand how hard I was working on trying to keep their love’s one blood pressure stable.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs or the basic needs of all humans are: physical, safety, love, acceptance, self-esteem and self-actualization. Many times when patients are ask to rate their level of satisfaction, they use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs scale for excellence. Knowing and understanding where patients are coming from regarding patient satisfactions, it is our duty to education them and their love ones the rationale behind our actions, so they can have the whole picture of their care in order to make an informed decision regarding their level of satisfaction.

Patient’s satisfaction and career success
Have you ever imagine what would happen to your career if you took the time to find out what patients have to say about your nursing care? Well I suggest that you find out, and career advice to you for week is to carry with you a 3x5 card daily, and at the end of your day take the time to get your patient’s level of satisfaction in writing.  Take it further and do the same with your co-workers, and use this information for your annual reviews,  and as reference for a new position.