Compassion
The compassion skill set encompasses behaviors that
support and build team relationships and is composed
of three key behaviors. First, according to those
interviewed, professional nurses communicate with
others in ways that display their consideration of and
caring for team member concerns, especially novice
nurses or team members who are subordinate in status
(e.g., PCAs). A nurse described this attribute in the
following quotation about a coworker who had created
a nurturing team environment:
They feel she is someone they can trust. She is
more willing to listen to whatever comments and
complaints they have and act accordingly. They
know they can go to her with situations and if they
are having a problem she will deal with it.
Other interviewees also talked about nurses who
showed their professionalism by routinely taking those
lower in status under their wings in socially supportive
ways that strengthened team members’ emotional bonds
and ultimately enhanced patient outcomes. A PCA
provided an example of how nurses with whom she
works display this skill:
Ever since I started being a PCA, [nurses] have
said, doh you’re doing a great job,T dthank you for
your work.T It just makes you feel wonderful. You
think, ok I can do that. And you know it helps
build your self-esteem, they make you want to
contribute. . .They make you feel wanted. They
make you feel intelligent, you know, something
you say is important and they want to listen to it.
Advocacy is another behavior connected to the
compassion skill set. Respondents said that nurses