Nurse manager believes that a chat or two can do wonders for patients.

PETALING JAYA: Being chatty may not seem like a crucial quality in a nurse, but for Nuur Furqaan (pic) Ishak it stands her in good stead.

Despite her hectic schedule, the nurse manager makes it a point to stop and chat with her patients – sometimes spending up to two hours in conversation with them.

“Sometimes I would go into their rooms and spend an hour or two, just to listen to the patients and talk with them,” she said.

There were even times, she said, when patients would confide their family problems to her.

“I’m more into communicating with patients. I believe (nurses) have to talk to them more, not only for their medical condition.

“Sometimes I ‘jump’ into their family issues,” said the 32-year-old.

She admitted it could be hard to be a nurse and also juggle her own family’s needs.

The mother of two has to constantly figure out babysitting arrangements for her own children.

However, Nuur Furqaan believed that nurses play an important role in not only caring for patients physically but to spread positivity and optimism so they can recover well.

“It’s especially true for patients without relatives, who often have a defeatist attitude, and think they can’t get better,” said Nuur Furqaan, who has been a nurse for 12 years.

She recounted the case of an elderly male patient who was paralysed when he was first admitted to the hospital.

“After five to six months, he was able to move his hands. We were so happy at his progress.

“That is the lovely thing about caring for patients. It doesn’t matter if they get irritated at us, we just feel very happy for them,” she said.