Laughing Matters: Harnessing Humor to Enhance Therapeutic Communication in Nursing

Session Summary

Nurses face high stress and burnout, yet humor, when skillfully used, can transform therapeutic communication and foster resilience. This session explores the science and art of humor in nursing, offering practical tools, real stories and evidence-based boundaries to help nurses connect authentically, reduce tension and build trust with patients and colleagues.

Objectives

Identify evidence-based benefits and boundaries of humor in nurse-patient communication.
Demonstrate practical humor techniques to enhance therapeutic relationships and reduce stress.
Analyze scenarios to distinguish appropriate and inappropriate uses of humor in clinical practice.

Topics Well-Being

Role Manager, Educator, APRN, Staff, Researcher

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Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Successful Completion

Learners must complete the entire activity and the associated evaluation to be awarded contact hours AND read Implicit Bias impacts patient outcomes. No partial credit will be awarded.

Accreditation

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider number CEP 1036, for 1.00 contact hours.

Disclosure

Any relevant relationship between an ineligible company and an individual with the ability to influence clinical content will be identified by the Nurse Planner within the activity. Any relevant relationship between an ineligible company and an individual with the ability to influence clinical content has been mitigated.

Accreditation refers to recognition of continuing education only and does not imply AACN, ANCC, or CBRN approval or endorsement of any commercial products discussed or displayed in conjunction with this educational activity.

Activities with pharmacology hours are to assist the APRN in fulfilling the pharmacotherapeutic education requirements for licensure and certification renewals.

Activities meet the standards for most states that require mandatory continuing education for license and/or certification renewal. AACN recommends consulting with your own state board of nursing or credentialing organization before submitting your certificate of completion.

Refund Policy

Continuing Education Activities are nonrefundable.