Path to Leadership Basic Ministry Skills How to Make a Hospital Visit

How to Make A Hospital Visit Arrive after 10:00 AM Knock for permission to enter and wait for an invitation to enter the room. – Listen closely; hospital rooms doors are thick and the patient's voice may be weak! Introduce yourself to the patient. Position yourself in the line of the patient’s vision. Path to Leadership

Things Not to Do In A Hospital Visit Don’t offer your hand… let the patient invite a handshake. Don’t sit down, except at the invitation of the patient. Never sit on the bed. Do not wake a sleeping patient. – Leave a handwritten note – Perhaps, along with a devotional magazine. Don’t offer medical advice or tell about someone else who had the same thing. Path to Leadership

Keep Visits Brief Normally, visits should last 5 to 10 minutes – Depending on relationship, purpose, and the patient’s state of health. – If you arrive at mealtime, make your visit very brief. – If their Doctor comes in, excuse yourself immediately. Path to Leadership

How to Make A Hospital Visit Focus on the patient once you are in the room. Instead of asking, – “How are you feeling?” …You might ask, – “How are things going today?” Listen; Let the patient do most of the talking. Path to Leadership

Offer Prayer As You Leave When it is time to leave, offer a prayer – With the patient’s permission – When possible, hold the patient’s hand or gently place your hand on the patient’s arm or shoulder. When praying, be comprehensive and specific. – Pray for the patient’s freedom from pain – Pray about family concerns, if any – Pray for God’s will to be accomplished in this sickness and recovery – Express dependence upon the Lord Path to Leadership