Medical Assistants: How to Reassure Your Nervous Patients

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As a medical assistant, you have a lot of responsibilities. You need to multitask to support the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to help the medical facility run smoothly. You also need to support patients and make them feel at ease so they have the best experience possible. After all, no one really enjoys going to the doctor and receiving medical care. They’re there because they don’t have a choice. So what can you do to make their visit a little easier? To reassure worried patients and get them through their visit or procedure?

Here’s how you can reassure nervous patients.

Be Friendly

You’ve heard the saying that first impressions are everything; that applies to the experiences at medical practices as well. Greet patients with a smile and let them know you’re happy to see. Put them at ease from the start, and they’ll be more likely to trust you and share their concerns.

Explain Procedures

Explain procedures to patients so they know what to expect. Even though you may be an expert at whatever is going to happen, your patients probably aren’t. Be empathetic and put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you are new to the procedure or treatment, and explain it to the patient in the detail that you would like to receive. Use layman terminology and make sure that they understand and aren’t overwhelmed by what you’re saying.

Listen to the Patient’s Questions and Concerns

Even if you and the doctor have explained what to expect to the patient, they may still have questions. They may have not been clear on something you said. They may have concerns because they read something online or heard something from a friend. You can do a lot to calm their fears when you let the patient know you want to hear what’s on their mind and do your best to address each of their concerns. As a Medical Assistant, you probably spend more time with your patients than the doctors and nurses; they trust you. So part of your job is to relay what they tell you. Everyone needs to understand what the patient thinks and feels so the whole team can do what it takes to ease their pain and help them get well.

Distract the Patient

As a procedure is about to start, it helps to talk to your patient to calm them down. For example, if your patient is nervous about getting a shot or blood draw, make small talk with them as you prepare for it. You may need to give a direction, like telling them when to take a breath or make a fist for the blood draw. Do so in a calm manner and try to keep them engaged in your conversation. It will help give them something to focus on other than the procedure.

Stay Calm

There’s a good chance your patients will reflect your attitude and feelings, especially if they are on edge. If you stay calm, even in a stressful situation, it will help them do the same. They’ll see that you aren’t worried, and it might help them feel more at ease and less inclined to worry too.

Do you like the idea of having a healthcare career that gives you the opportunity to help put people at ease when they need it the most? Then you may want to consider training to be Medical Assistant. Check out our Medical Assistant Guide and discover all you can learn at Charter College. Train for a new career as a Medical Assistant in as few as 10 months. Contact us today to learn more.