Introduction On September 2nd, 2014, I spent three hours interaction with patient B.A in his room which is at Palm Beach Gardens Hospital. The patient’s room is small, clean with two chairs pushed to the side near the window that shines light into the room. The bed is located in the center of the room which is nicely fixed. This area was chosen because it allows the patient comfort, a familiar surrounding and a private place to speak. The patient B.A., is a 59 year old alert and oriented male. The patient has short light brown hair which he styled nicely. He is properly groomed and is wearing a clean hospital gown with light gray pants. He is waiting for his wife to visit him later in the day. When I first entered the room to greet the patient, he presented himself as a friendly sociable and cooperative person throughout most of the interaction. He could perform all this daily activities independtly and only asked for assistance when needed. He shows eagerness to be discharged from hospital. According to Potter & Perry, “therapeutic communication is holistic and patient centered and engages the totality of the patient’s condition” ( 2005, p.78). The nursing goal of this nurse/patient interaction was to build confidence to allow ease of communication. The patient goals were (1) the patient will express feelings and thoughts about the diabetes that he has been managing for a couple of years. (2) The patient will express any concerns he has about his recent abdominal pain and the effect it has in his life.

Nurse Verbatim
Patient Verbatim
Nonverbal Behavior of Nurse and Client
Interpretation of interaction
Alternation response with rationale
“Good Morning Mr. B.A., how are you feeling this morning ?”
“Better than I have been yesterday. I hope the doctor will come by and discharge me today.”
Student nurse made eye contact with the patient. Patient smiles and responds in a clear and cheerful tone.

“ The doctor may be coming in to see you later today”
“Yes, the nurse mentioned that earlier. My wife will be coming here at about 10 am.”
Student nurse looks outside the window away from patient and patient moves around the room towards his phone. He clicks it on, and then puts it gently on the bed.

“That’s nice. Do you work ?
“Yes. I work building race car engines. It has been a job that I have done for about twenty years and I absouletly enjoy it.
Student nurse walks over to a chair and sits in the direction of the patient. Patient explains his job excitedly to the student