How do you measure a quality smile? There has been much in the UK press this week about the need for nurses to smile and Gadgets post of yesterday had me mulling on this conundrum
Ok so I am dumbing the issue down a bit here, but what its really about is the need for nurses to show compassion and empathy and they are entirely different things to a low grade smile. Nurses (and that’s a good number of my friends and acquaintances) have to carry the mantle of nurses somehow being ‘angels’, throughout their shift and that can’t be a light load, but I know there is scope for improvement, I’ve been there, well Mum has.
But how do you quantify a smile? not all smiles are equal, so do ‘they’ plan measure the smiles on a scale of 1-10? #10 being the nicest smile you have ever seen and #1 being a sneering sarcastic grin (oh dear an image of Gordon Browns ’smile’ has just come into my head, it’s not pleasant, think the joker from the batman movie.)
But anyone can tell when a smile is not genuine, a faux smile may stretch from ear to ear, but if the eyes aren’t smiling it’s not for real. And that’s the thing, you cant, slap a stick on smile on the face of the NHS and pretend its all OK, it has to come from what deep within, and that’s more (or at least I think it should be) than a stack of statistics and tick boxes.
I don’t like it when nurses (or doctors) smile. It’s invariably a sign that something is seriously wrong, that they’re about to do something seriously painful, or they’re about to stick something somewhere uncomfortable. I know it’s meant to be reassuring, but it’s not.
Dentists are even worse. Big smile, then “I’m going to pull that tooth and I don’t seen any need for anaesthetic today”.
I prefer all people in medical professions to be grim and straight-faced. It’s much more dependable and appropriate.
yes the nurses must get fed up with having to constantly make a smile, its one of the jobs where they are not really allowed an off day i suppose.
Perhaps there smiles would be more appreciated if they where paid more. We can pay a tanker driver a lot more , such a shame.
When my mother was dying, my sisters and I took turns staying with her, holding her hand, just being with her. We were grieving so deeply . . . Late one night I opened my eyes to see a nurse on the other side of the bed, looking at me with great compassion. He had come in quietly to do what he needed to do – he had been there with me quietly – he never said one word, nor did I, and neither of us smiled a bit, but he gave me the greatest comfort I felt during those hard, hard days. You are so right – we all know the difference between hearty sham and straight-up human connection. Here’s to the nurses who manage the latter. It can’t be easy.
One of our previous Chief Ambulance Officers (before all this new fangled stuff with Chief Executives) was known as the ‘Smiling Assassin’.
He had the unnerving ability to speak to and also mug you at the same time without you realising it!
Oh dear Stony, that sounds a bit gloomy
hospitals were never meant to be fun, but….
Gerry, I suppose it is about what is appropiate for that very moment, as much as anything.
KM, no doubt the smiling assassin has continued to romp up the tree of management