Sarah Anderson - Forging Connections

Family: Husband, Kris, two boys Greyson and Camden

Year you became an RN: 2013

Current employer: Bon Secours Southside Medical Center

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Nursing is about making connections. Put yourself in the shoes of a patient, and it’s easy to understand why forging bonds with those in need is important.

Nurses interact with patients who are facing a challenge that’s especially personal – their own health and well-being. Those we serve place their trust in a team that more often than not is unfamiliar to them. Connecting with patients and their families on a personal level helps ease the burden. 

As nurses, we know this from our own experience. Most of us have been on the other side, either as a patient or as the family member of one. We know how it feels when medical providers rush. We understand how frustrating it is when it seems like you’re not being heard.

Nurses are very task-oriented, but we can’t be all task-oriented, all the time. It’s important that we make a special effort to get to know those in our care.

I’m a charge nurse for an outpatient surgery unit, and that gives my colleagues and me some time to find out a little about our patients. There are several topics that usually serve well to establish a relationship. Even something as simple as where the patient is from is a good icebreaker. We can often find people we know or places that we go in common.

There’s a gentleman who comes to see us frequently and I’ve been able to bond with him over our shared love for patriotism. He served in the armed forces, and we’ve had conversations about the importance of mental health and how many veterans take their own life. He gave me pushpins that he received for being a veteran and that gift was very meaningful for me.

Part of making those personal connections is showing strength when the occasion calls for it. That’s as important for patients and their families as personalizing the care they receive. 

A lesson I’ve learned in nursing is never to take life for granted. I’ve seen occasions when a family leaves for the day with no indication of any problems, only to have the situation take a turn for the worse.

At those times when good news is sparse, it’s our responsibility as caregivers to be the rock for them to lean on. As much as we want to cry with them – we’re human, too – that’s when we must dig deep and project strength. 

That’s why we make connections. Caregiving is a relationship that’s built on expertise, knowledge and, just as importantly, trust.