Learning Objectives
- Interact professionally with clients, families, and coworkers
- Display appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication skills in the health care setting
- Establish therapeutic relationships with clients and their family members
- Respond to clients exhibiting disruptive behaviors
- Respond to aggressive behavior
- Establish effective working relationships with supervisors and peers
- Demonstrate effective reporting and documentation
- Assist clients to meet spiritual needs
- Adapt care and communication to meet the psychological needs of the aging client
- Demonstrate empathy for the emotional needs and mental health of diverse clients
- Apply effective coping strategies
Effective communication is a vital skill for nursing assistants. Nursing assistants communicate professionally with patients and other health care team members throughout every shift. This chapter will review the communication process, discuss strategies for adapting communication based on the needs of the client and health care team, and introduce guidelines for documentation and reporting.
