York College of Pennsylvania nursing students who work at WellSpan Health are cultivating relationships with patients through flower arrangements, according to an April 27 post from the York, Pa.-based system.
Rachael Lattanzio, DNP, a nursing professor at the college, created a project for her students to help patients make flower arrangements or write notes to loved ones as the prospective nurses monitor for any changes in patients' health.
"The students picked up on subtle signs, such [as] one patient's weakness on his left side" when the person went to cut a stem or pick up the pen, the post said. The activity led to stronger relationships while showing hints that a treatment regimen needs tweaking.
"I thought how cool it would be to have my nursing students spend quality time with their patients and assist them in performing a task, all the while using the skills they have been building over the last semester to help them pull together the patient's story," Dr. Lattanzio said in a statement. "Nurses need to think outside the box. This activity helps them to use cues to critically think about a patient's diagnosis and care."