[Sharon]

Consider how nurses communicate through stories. Share an example where you have either taught someone through storytelling or have learned through storytelling.

[Courtney]

I believe nurses teach through story telling all the time. I am currently in consolidation and whenever I do something that has a better way of doing it or is not correct than my preceptor will correct me or teach me through telling me a story of something that happened to her. I remember this one time I was using a needle to inject a palliative patient with routine hydromorphone. I did not believe the needle had the ability to retract so I went to recap the needle so that it did accidently poke myself or someone else. My preceptor corrected me and showed me that the syringe/needle I was using did in fact retract and then proceeded to tell me a story about how recapping a needle is so dangerous and how she once poked herself with a needle that she was trying to recap.

[Rose]

Hi Courtney, that’s a great example of learning through storytelling! It’s amazing how stories from our preceptors can help reinforce important safety practices and make the lesson more memorable. I can see how sharing personal experiences can make us more aware of the risks and help us avoid similar mistakes. Stories really do make learning more impactful! thanks for sharing this.
Rose

[Tara]

I feel that storytelling about previous experiences really help ensuring we avoid mistakes and use safe and effective treatment to patients. It can help one with common mishaps that are easily avoidable. An example that comes to mind is the importance of timely and correct documentation. A preceptor once shared a story on a near overdose of medication. There was an incident when the previous nurse did not correctly document that a narcotic was given just prior to shift change. Oncoming nurse started her shift and proceeded to dispense narcotic to a patient that just received it, this lead to being double dosed and the resident started to become distressed with difficulty breathing, SOB. Thankfully this was not fatal and resident recovered. The previous nurse, signed the narc binder but did no.t chart off on patients profile. Her big take home was to always check MAR and Narc signature book before administering.

[Patrice]

During my hospital clinical placement, my preceptor often used storytelling about her past nursing experiences, as a means to guide and motivate us as nursing students. One of the stories was about medication administration, she mentioned that, on a hectic day she was administering medication to several patients and while she was in a hurry to complete her tasks, with confidence, thinking that she knew the medication well that was to be administered to one patient, she quickly glanced at the medication and dosage without double checking. After administering the medication, she realized the wrong dosage was given to the patient. She immediately reported the error; the patient was assessed and closely monitored. This was a personal story to emphasize to us as nursing students, the importance of double-checking medication orders and ensuring the accuracy of all orders.

[Brittany]

My preceptor liked to use “story telling” as a means of teaching. Most of these stories she would not give me the end result but have me critically think and come up with the end result before telling me what happened. This allowed for things to stick, ensuring not to make similar mistakes and of course always use my critical thinking skills. This is definitely something I will carry forward as a leader in nursing.

[Ayotunde]

I got to learn about learning through storytelling in college during the TRC course, this to me is a unique way of learning so I adopted this method and luckily I also meet people who do this so I guess it is something familiar around us.
I do this often when guiding my children on what to do and how to especially when I read things in the news or share my experience in my workplace from what I learned from colleagues, nurses and sometimes residents.
I discovered my eldest son is taking this part in explaining things to his siblings.

[Omono]

My preceptor during my orientation told me the importance of immediately documenting the administration of Narcotic as you administer. She told me a story of a nurse who did not document her narcotic as she gives to her residents. Unfortunately she was sick, ambulances was called to take her to the hospital. RN checking her books, finds some discrepancy. Incident reported to police. On regaining consciousness the police were by her bed to question her about the missing narcotic that were not signed for.
Lesson of this narration is sign the books as you take out the narcotic to administer to clients.

[Amber]

My preceptor was telling me a story about the importance of documentation and making sure all areas of documentation are covered. It was to do with a vaccination and the patient was scheduled to have his fourth dose. After the medication was administered, and the nurse went to complete the documentation, it turned out that the nurse who did the previous dose didn’t document the information in the patient’s file. Therefore, he was receiving his fifth dose not his fourth. The patient had to be told about the error, which could lead to a trust issue between the nurse and patient and an incident report had to be completed due to a medication error. That story has stayed with me as a reminder every time I perform a task, I make sure to document it.

[Adetutu]

In my semester 3,my mental health teacher was always demonstrating teachings with personal life experiences in story telling.
I learnt a lot through her teachings.

[Judith]

During my placement, My preceptor always emphasized the need to avoid medication errors and also told us stories about some people’s negligence. I learned a lot from the story because it was very educative.

[Adeola]

I learnt about storytelling in college during my research course. We were being taught about indigenous research. Storytelling is a unique way of knowing as the listener is invited into the storytellers’ perspective and the lived experience of the people involved in the story.

[Coleen]

Storytelling is a powerful tool in nursing education and practice. One example of teaching through storytelling is when I shared a personal experience with a new nurse to illustrate the importance of empathy in patient care. I recounted a story where I had cared for a terminally ill patient who was feeling isolated and scared. By empathizing with the patient’s emotions and actively listening to their concerns, I was able to provide comfort and support during their final days. Through this story, I emphasized the impact of compassionate care on patient outcomes and encouraged the new nurse to prioritize empathy in their practice.

[Rahmatu]

Story-telling in nursing can be in a formal or informal setting. The act of story-telling helps to provide a summary of nursing standards or principles in a more relatable form. I have been opportune in my nursing career to hear different stories that have been beneficial and helped to shape my nursing practice thus far.

[Paige]

Story telling is a great way to learn from other nurses with different experiences. At work i often collaborate with many nurses about similar experiences they have encountered to understand different approaches to take.

[Adriana]

A story telling from one nurse on my clinical consolidation was about a patient with PEG tube. She told me that while she has another student, the nurse student almost give PO medications to this particular patient. Then the nurse explain the reasons why the patient has the PEG tube and why the meds could not be administered orally. It is always good to have support from nurses able to explain the rationale for this kind of patients when sometimes its their 1st approach with PEG tubes.

[Julian]

A nurse told the writer the process of sending an emergency transfer out of the rehab hospital, he said that when he detected possible signs of a stroke on a patient, he called the Doctor and they were sent out with a MAR copy and a chart because the patient was being transferred to the same organization’s emergency hospital.

[Kerisha]

I learned that communicating with team members is important in assuring your safety and the safety of the team member when working on a task together. My professor shared a story from person experience about a time when she was injured while repositioning a patient in bed because her and her team member did not communicate clearly on what count they were going to move the patient up in bed. My professor ended up lifting before her partner and as a result injured her back. She told us that this could have been avoided if they communicated more clearly and were better in sync with each other.

[Nicole]

I feel that all five types of stories can be beneficial for building therapeutic nurse-client relationships. I personally enjoy utilizing firsthand experiences, but often feel second-hand stories can also be applicable. For example, having had abdominal surgery, I feel that I can teach clients who have had abdominal surgery through personal storytelling.

[Ngan]

I believe, the profession of nursing and nurses uses all five types of communicating with stories on a daily basis. In my experience first hand and second hand experience are the most common. Both first and second hand story telling has allowed me to teach students and inexperience nurses. Using my first hand experience story of using the organizations new IV pumps and how I troubleshoot issues allowed the inexperience nurse to learn and understand issues that they may come into and what steps they could utilize to resolve the problem.

[Yanique]

Storytelling is a powerful tool for nurses to teach and communicate important lessons in a relatable and memorable way. One example of learning through storytelling that I can share involves a nurse teaching a new colleague about patient-centered care. a senior nurse was teaching a new RN about the importance of individualizing care plans based on each resident’s preferences, rather than simply following standardized procedures. Instead of simply explaining the concept, the senior nurse shared a story about a resident, Mrs. Thompson, who had specific needs and preferences that weren’t immediately obvious. The senior nurse’s story highlighted the importance of looking beyond the clinical tasks and truly understanding the whole person behind the diagnosis. It demonstrated that small, thoughtful adjustments in the care routine, based on a resident’s history and preferences, could significantly improve their quality of life.

[Gagandeep]

During my training in long-term care, a senior nurse shared a story about a resident who had a sudden change in behavior that was mistaken for dementia progression—but it turned out to be a simple infection. I realize how important is it to look beyond assumptions and consider all possibilities.

[Nancy]

When I started working in a long-term care facility, my charge nurse shared a story about a medication error she made early in her career. She had accidentally given a patient the wrong dose of medication and realized her mistake immediately. Although she felt terrified about the potential consequences, her supervisor reassured her that owning up to mistakes and learning from them was more important than trying to cover them up. The patient was monitored closely and thankfully had no adverse effects, but the experience changed how she approached medication administration forever.
This story helped me understand the importance of adhering to the rights of medication administration. Mistakes can happen at any time to anyone, but honesty, accountability, and a willingness to learn are essential for safe nursing practice.

[Rose]

Hello,
Yes, I believe nurses learn a lot through sharing stories. Real experiences help us understand different perspectives, prepare for challenges, and support one another. One story that had a big impact on my nursing practice was from a senior nurse I worked with early in my career!
One story was about a patient, “Mr. J,” who had late-stage dementia and would often become agitated during care. Many staff members assumed he was just resistant, but one day, she noticed he would hum an old song when he was upset. She spoke to his family and learned that he used to be a musician. The team started playing soft music during his care, and his agitation decreased significantly. This taught me an important lesson! Behind every behaviour, there’s a reason. Instead of reacting to a patient’s frustration, we should take a step back and try to understand what they’re feeling.
Thank you for reading my post.
Rose

[Wafaa]

A senior nurse once shared a story with me about calming an anxious patient before surgery. She explained how, as a new nurse, she was unsure how to help but used clear, empathetic communication to reassure the patient. The patient felt more at ease, and the procedure went smoothly. She told me, “Sometimes, just taking the time to listen can make all the difference.” This story taught me the importance of patient communication and how small moments can significantly impact care.

[Sheryl]

Most of my experiences especially when nurses are teaching students in the unit, they do a lot of story telling based on someone else experiences or their own.

[Author]

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