Guided Tour The Providing Holistic Care Framework at the beginning of each chapter outlines the elements of holistic care covered in that chapter and provides you with an opportunity to understand and apply the principles of holistic care. A Chapter Outline shows how chapters are broken into smaller sections to make content more manageable. Objectives and Key Terms for each section help you organize your learning and identify key content areas for review. Questions to Consider at the beginning of each section will engage you as you consider your experiences and uncover the important points presented in the content. Section Reviews and Assessments provide multiple opportunities for self-assessment to confi rm learning as you explore and apply the content to realistic healthcare scenarios. Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 61 Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com Working in Healthcare 4 Chapter Outline Section 4.1 Healthcare Teamwork Section 4.2 Engagement, Critical Thinking, and Communication Welcome to the Chapter This chapter provides information about various healthcare careers, the ways healthcare facilities are staffed, and the importance of working effectively on a healthcare team. Regardless of where you work in healthcare, it is very important to be fully engaged in what you do and how you care for others. This means that you are respectful of and sensitive to others’ needs, mentally present when communicating, and self-aware. It also means you self-examine and reflect on your caregiving skills. Learning how to be fully engaged requires you to be an effective critical thinker and to communicate professionally.chapter What you learn in this will help you develop your knowledge and skills to become a holistic nursing assistant. The topics discussed in the chapter are highlighted on the Providing Holistic Care Framework. You are now ready to start this chapter, Working in Healthcare. Providing Holistic Care: A Framework Holistic Care Body, Mind, Spirit Holistic Nursing Assistant Requirements Professionalism Self-Refl ection Self-Care Critical Thinking Caring and Communication Skills Interpersonal and Team Relationships Cultural Humility Skill Competence Time, Energy, and Priority Management Legal, Ethical, Safe, Quality Practice Resident or Patient Factors Affecting Well-Being Disease Process or Condition Needs and Development Independence and Self-Reliance ADL and Mobility Environment Culture Spirituality Relationships Healthcare Environment Delivery Systems Facilities Workplace Policies and Procedures Healthcare Team Family Friends Signifi cant Others Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 4 Working in Healthcare 75 • never share your own personal problems and information with residents or their families • only share your personal information with those who need this information, such as your charge nurse • be conscious of your nonverbal communication and how you come across to others • never post pictures or comments about your workplace on social media and • never send an angry or emotional e-mail or post similar comments on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media websites. Remember Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life. Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and author Know and Understand the Facts 9. Discuss what it means to engage residents. 10. Identify one formal and one informal approach to mindfulness. 11. Identify the fi ve components of critical thinking. 12. List three characteristics of a critical thinker. Analyze and Apply Concepts 13. Describe how mindfulness can contribute to effective caregiving. 14. Describe two informal exercises a person can use to help develop mindfulness. 15. Explain two strategies that can be used to increase engagement. 16. Discuss fi ve ways you can communicate professionally. Think Critically Read the following care situation. Then answer the questions that follow. Lately, it has been diffi cult to care for Mr. J. Mr. J has not wanted to get up, bathe, or talk with other residents. This behavior is unusual for Mr. J. During the last week, you noticed Mr. J’s behavior getting worse. You have been busy and have tried to be helpful and attentive to him, but that does not seem to be working. Each time you walk into Mr. J’s room, he turns away. 17. What might be the fi rst action that you, as a holistic nursing assistant, could take the next time you walk into Mr. J’s room? 18. What might you say to Mr. J? 19. What engagement strategies could you use to fi nd out what has happened to Mr. J. that is causing this change in behavior? Using the Key Terms Complete the following sentences using the key terms in this section. Go to the G-W Learning Companion Website for additional review. 1. It is important that nursing assistants remain _____, or think clearly, as they make decisions. 2. A nursing assistant who is _____ could use perception to pick up on a resident’s unspoken needs. 3. _____ is a method of achieving mindfulness through relaxation and concentration and can reduce stress when practiced daily. 4. A(n) _____ may contain a nursing assistant’s thoughts and feelings about his or her work performance and experiences. 5. The process of using reasonable assumptions to reach a conclusion is called _____. 6. _____, or looking at one’s self in an honest and truthful way, can lead to improved interactions with others. 7. Giving a resident undivided attention is one example of _____ and shows dedication to providing quality care. 8. When practicing _____, a nursing assistant focuses on the present, including what is being said, what he or she is doing, or what is happening in his or her environment. Review and Assessment 4.2 Section Cop pyr rigght gh G Kn K K K Kn no 9. 10. 11. 12. L Ana A n n na al 13. D e 14. D u 15. Ex in 16. Di pr U C a 4 5 6 7 8. S 62 The Nursing Assistant Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objectives Nursing assistants work with a variety of healthcare staff. Getting to know the different types of staff, staff roles, and nursing unit staffi ng procedures helps to ensure effective teamwork. Having a good balance of staff and successful teamwork among staff members is essential to providing safe, quality care. Understanding how teams function, what role each team member has, and how you can be an effective team member are important parts of providing holistic care. To achieve the objectives for this section, you must successfully • describe the healthcare staff you will be working with to provide holistic care • identify the ways facilities ensure there are enough staff members to provide safe, quality care • explain the functions of a healthcare team and team member roles and • demonstrate how you can be an effective healthcare team member. Key Terms Learn these key terms to better understand the information presented in the section. census level of care ratio staffi ng staffi ng plan turnover What Healthcare Staff Members Work with Nursing Assistants? One exciting part of working in healthcare is that you will become a member of a healthcare team. Teamwork is of the utmost importance in healthcare because it helps ensure that residents are receiving safe, quality holistic care. To find your place on the healthcare team, you will need to know and understand the different roles and responsibilities of healthcare staff. Several team members are directly involved in the care of residents and work closely with nursing assistants. Doctor (MD or DO) The doctor has the primary role in patient and resident care. A doctor is often called a physician, primary care provider (PCP), medical doctor (MD), or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO). A doctor diagnoses illness or disease based on symptoms and the analysis of laboratory tests, X-rays, and other findings. Doctors also evaluate patients’ progress (Figure 4.1). The decisions that doctors make result in orders for medication prescrip- tions, treatments, laboratory tests, X-rays, or the need for the use of medical equipment. Doctors’ orders are also needed for admissions, transfers, and discharges in and out of healthcare facilities. Healthcare Teamwork 4.1 Questions to Consider • Have you ever played on a sports team or participated in another group activity? What was the most important factor in how effectively you worked with others to achieve a goal? • While on the team, did you need to know whom you were working with and what roles your team members played? How did understanding each person’s role help you achieve your shared goal? Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com Figure 4.1 Doctors diagnose illnesses and diseases and prescribe treatments.