A Novice Nurse Asks,"What Is So Wrong About Being Sympathetic

question 17

Multiple Choice

A novice nurse asks,"What is so wrong about being sympathetic with a patient who has also lost a parent like I did?" The psychiatric nurse manager responds:

• A) "There is a fine line between empathy and sympathy that when crossed makes you less able to be therapeutic."
• B) "Rather than discussing the loss of your parent with the patient, you can talk to me about it whenever you need to."
• C) "I'll provide you with some excellent materials that I'm sure will help you to understand why sympathy is less therapeutic."
• D) "Sympathy indicates that you are sharing your personal feelings and that changes the focus of the communication from the patient to you."

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