Fear Of The Unkown

We medical people are good at physically preparing people for medical test and procedures but not so good at explaining why these test are being done or listening to the fears of the patient about whom these things are being done to.
When students go to medical or nursing school they never are given any courses on how it feels to be a patient at the mercy of a medical person hands.
Maybe we all need to spend a few days in a hospital to understand what its like to be in the bed instead of standing over it.
In a one day period we nurses spend most of our time dealing with multiple people and their needs.
Doctors,other nurses,pharmacy,van drivers,x ray people,lab people,multiple phone calls in search of information,hospice employees and nurses,housekeepers,maintenance and the list goes on and on.
I probably touch bases with each and everyone from the above list through out my day.
We forget that what we deal with every working day is all new and very scary to the patient we are working with.
I try through out my day to remind myself that no question or fear is a small matter to those who are in my care.
I know how to do all the hands on things from my school days but must remember that just because I know how and why I'm doing something the person laying in the bed does not understand what is being done to them and they are frightened.
To entrust your body to another human being is a tribute to the person on the other end whom you are about to trust with what could be your life.
Do no harm is a pledge we all take on the day we graduate but ease peoples fears should also be a part those vows.
Just because I know what I am doing doesn't mean the people allowing me to do my job know that I know and are trusting that I do.
How much faith one must have is incredible and how we treat our patients requires us to also allow them to trust that we will do whatever we can to make the process has least traumatic as possible.
No patient should ever feel to afraid to vent to a medical professional and no medical person should ever allow a patient to feel like they are a burden or a nuisance.