How can we teach perspective taking to our students?
Merriam Webster defines perspective as “the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed.” To put it simply perspective is “point of view.” Perspective taking, the ability to see the world as others see it, is perhaps the foundational skill to practicing empathy.
What impacts our perspective?
The lens we see through is shaped by our interaction and experience with the world around us. Age, sex, level of education, ethnicity and language are the obvious factors, but our lenses are more colorful than this. Family dynamics, sexual orientation, birth order, and faith are just a few additional influencing factors.
In a previous post I wrote:
As nurses we interact with patients and colleagues different from ourselves every day. We care for patients whom have committed crimes or interact with parents who neglected or intentionally harmed their child. The patient’s religion, sexual orientation and social background may be different than our own. Additionally, in the United States the demographics of the nursing work force does not reflect that of the general population. Currently, 36 percent of the U. S. Population are white females; while 65 percent of the nurses under the age of 42 are white females.
The nursing demographic does not reflect that of the general population. If you grew up in majority culture (white, straight, middle-class and Christian) like many nurses, you may have been taught that your perspective is the right perspective and everyone else needs to adjust their lens (Brown, 2018). Many of us were taught what perspective is, but not all of us were taught the skill of perspective taking.
Empathy Myth: We can take our lenses off.
The truth is, no matter how hard I try I cannot remove my white, female 40-something lens. It is welded to my head. So, how can we learn and teach the skill of perspective taking?
- Be curious.
- Ask questions.
- Be learners.
- Honor our patients, co-workers and students with respect.
Post Conference Activities
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- Review article: Nursing Workforce Projections by Ethnicity and Race
- Complete Handout: Perspective Taking Handout
- Play Video (2 minutes 37 seconds): How can Providers Elicit Patient Perspective and Respond with Empathy?
- Discussion Question: What questions can we ask our patients to help us understand their point of view?
Four questions students can ask patients to gain perspective:
- Tell me more..
- What about this concerns you the most?Help me understand.
- What are you thinking?
- What is most important to you today?
Resources:
- Article Link: Nursing Workforce Projections
- Video: How can Providers Elicit Patient Perspective and Respond with Empathy
- Handout: Perspective Taking
- Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts. New York, N.Y.:
Penguin Random House.
