"In my years of working as a nurse in the family practice setting, I've been part of conversations that involved diagnoses of diabetes and other life-altering diseases. Just a few months ago, I was involved in a very difficult diagnosis of COPD for a younger patient who unfortunately had a job that exposed him to some pretty bad air. The patient thought they were just sick and not getting better, and I knew discussing this with them would be taken very hard by the patient. Prior to the conversation, I got all the materials and information together that I could to best explain the diagnosis, potential treatment plans, and to be able to answer any questions they had. When I'm able to prepare like this, I'm very comfortable having any conversation with a patient. My approach with this patient was to be direct with the diagnosis, give them a bit of time to process their thoughts, and then ask what questions they might have. His mind went immediately to his job and being able to support his family. That is where I let my caregiver nature take over and convince him that focusing on his health was the top priority he should have on his mind so he could live for many years with his children and spouse. I can imagine that your oncology nurses have conversations like this on a regular basis and I think my approach with patients that are experiencing life-changing diagnoses would be well received."
