Use therapeutic communication in formal and informal interaction with patients, families,

groups, colleagues, and other members of the healthcare team in the delivery of nursing care.
Communicating therapeutically has been one of my biggest challenges in nursing school.
I used to miss all the questions for which therapeutic communication had to be applied.
However, I finally achieved this outcome and I choose properly, most of the time, what is the
most appropriate answer that a nurse should provide in a determined situation. This achievement
has been accomplished thanks to the extensive teaching that SHSU SON provides on this regard.
In every class, this topic has been discussed and tested.
The examples selected for this outcome are two PowerPoints. The first PowerPoint was
designed with classmate Kali Robinson for our Mental Health class. In that assignment, we
analyzed the movie Girl, Interrupted and how communication was used therapeutically and
non-therapeutically. This assignment meets the fourth outcome because it shows that we are able
to identify what proper communication techniques are and what techniques should be avoided.
The other example is the final assignment for my summer externship at St. Lukes.
During orientation, all the externs were placed in groups to design and present a project at the
end of the externship that defined what a nurse is in five words based on research and
experience. One of the characteristics that my group selected as an important asset in a nurse
was effective communication. My group consisted of a total of three members. Each member
was in a different unit and came from a different school, which means that therapeutic
communication is essential for nurses no matter where they practice.
What I can do to provide more therapeutic communication is to improve my English.
Sometimes I lack the knowledge of common terms, which can result in misunderstanding. In

addition, I am aware that my accent, in Spanish and English, can suppose a barrier in
communication. Therefore, I have to practice pronunciation and vocabulary.