I recently watched a talk by a Registered Nurse on a topic she calls "assertive empathy". It's a bit long at 41 minutes[0], but the real world examples were par

I recently watched a talk by a Registered Nurse on a topic she calls "assertive empathy". It's a bit long at 41 minutes[0], but the real world examples were particularly interesting to me. An example that runs throughout the talk involves a young man who is verbally abusive and physically threatening to the nursing staff. His behavior is causing them real difficulty in just doing their jobs of assisting with his recovery. The solution? Demonstrate empathy ("I understand that what you're going through is hard and we're here to help.") but be assertive and set boundaries ("But you must show us the same level of respect we show you. We won't tolerate abuse."). By holding that line while continuing to show care, she eventually catalyzed a change in his behavior toward them. This assertive empathy is seen as the height of respect by this patient who might not feel respected anywhere else in his life. Having been hospitalized myself, I know just how amazing a good nurse can be. I think the world would be a better place if we all learned more about human interaction from experienced nurses. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYU9yTp0lD4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYU9yTp0lD4