The step-by-step process for teaching compassion, and putting compassion at the center of care, is called C.A.R.E.Ô The acronym stands for Connect, Assess, Respond, and Evaluate and End. We will be applying each of the steps to ourselves, our staff, and our patients and their families. This is crucial for the method to work.
The last step in the C.A.R.E. process is to evaluate the effectiveness of care. This is familiar to all nurses as an important part of the nursing process, yet it is a step that is sometimes missed or overlooked. We really do need to evaluate the effectiveness of the medications and other treatments we give our patients, but that’s not all. We also need to evaluate the effectiveness of our interactions with them.
No nursing process would be complete without spending a moment on evaluating the interaction. Did our interventions work? We can also add looking at how well we were able to connect with our patients, were we able to assess their situation honestly, and respond to them with compassion?
“When the time is right, we mark the end of our time… so that we can move cleanly to the next moment, person, or task. Without the acknowledgment of what has taken place, it can be difficult to let go of this encounter and move on.”
~ Roshi Joan Halifax
Applying this to ourselves and our staff is also important. Having an end of shift checklist for ourselves can be enlightening and helpful. Not as a way to beat ourselves up, but to look at the progress we’re making, and if this method is working.
In Joan Halifax’s book Standing at the Edge, she offers sage advice for engaging with the suffering we see all around us with integrity. While I’ve developed and used my C.A.R.E. model over the past decades of work, I was inspired by Roshi Joan’s addition of “End” to process. She says, “When the time is right, we mark the end of our time… so that we can move cleanly to the next moment, person, or task.” She goes on to say, “Without the acknowledgment of what has taken place, it can be difficult to let go of this encounter and move on.”
This is so important.
Have you ever found that you wake up at 3 in the morning worrying – or is it just me? Or that you spend time worrying about work when you’re home, only to turn around and worry about home while you’re at work?
Having a definitive “end” to our interactions and encounters goes a long way to solve this problem, bring peace of mind to our lives.
I’ve been working in the hospice field for the past 20 years, and one of the things I learned early on was to say goodbye to my patients at the end of every visit. Even if it was just to make eye contact, and hold their hand with a smile. The reality is that we might not see that patient again.
We might have a little ritual of being sure we at least wave bye to each of our staff at the end of the shift, touch base with anyone who needs to stay over to finish, and to have our own “goodbye” before leaving the floor. Even something as simple as taking off our lanyard, hanging it in our locker, and saying “see you tomorrow.”
The step-by-step process I call C.A.R.E.. will work with any facility, charting system, or care delivery model because it’s a shift in perspective, not a policy or procedure. I’m looking forward to introducing you to all of the steps. Keep reading, and you’ll see how all of this fits together.
Let me know what you think in the comments below, and click the button to register for the continuing education portal. You can take some free courses to try things out.