All patients deserve more than clinical skill—they deserve compassionate, respectful, and professional care. Whether a patient is alert or non-responsive, verbal or non-verbal, we act as if they perceive everything—because they often do.

New Jersey Respiratory was founded on Daniel Pino’s vision of a company that puts bedside manner first. Nearly 50 years later, that principle remains at the heart of everything we do. We believe that how we treat our patients—moment by moment, shift by shift—is the most important part of the care we provide.

Please take the time to read, reflect on, and regularly revisit this guide. It represents not just what we do, but who we are.

Six Everyday Principles

1. Always Lead with Respect and Dignity

  • Greet patients by name.

  • Make eye contact and speak with warmth and kindness.

  • Treat every patient with the same dignity you would expect for your own loved ones.

  • Whether a patient is responsive or not, assume they are aware.

2. Prioritize Cleanliness and Comfort

  • Especially in vent units, ensuring patients are clean, dry, and suctioned regularly is essential.

  • Reposition patients and attend to small discomforts—they add up.

  • If you wouldn’t want to lie in their condition, neither should they.

3. Walk in Their Shoes: Practice Empathy in Every Interaction

  • Speak professionally when within earshot of patients—this includes conversations with coworkers and on the phone.

  • Move gently and explain what you're doing, even if the patient can’t respond.

  • Your words, touch, and tone all send a message.

4. Reassure Patients That You’re With Them, Even When Balancing Multiple Needs

  • Never say: “I have other patients to see.”

  • Instead, try: “I’ll be right with you. You’re important, and I want to make sure I give you the attention you deserve.”

  • Make every patient feel seen, even in a hectic moment.

5. It’s Never “Not My Job”

  • We don’t say, “That’s not my job.”

  • If you can help, help. If not, connect the patient or teammate to someone who can.

  • If you feel you're being asked to do too much outside your role, speak to your manager.

  • Refusing to help directly isn’t our culture—teamwork is.

6. Maintain Professionalism, Even When It’s Hard

  • Personal stress, understaffing, or frustration with other departments should never be felt by the patient.

  • Stay calm and professional at the bedside.

  • If you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a manager or HR. Support is available, and it’s okay to ask for help.

Real-Life Situations & How to Respond

Difficult Patient or Family Member

  • What to do: Stay calm, listen, and de-escalate. If needed, involve a supervisor.

  • What not to do: Argue, walk away without explanation, or make the situation personal.

Exhausted or Overwhelmed

  • What to do: Take a safe pause, then seek help from your team or leadership.

  • What not to do: Let fatigue affect your tone or the patient experience.

A Colleague Isn’t Providing Adequate Care

  • What to do: Speak up respectfully, or report it if needed. Patient safety comes first.

  • What not to do: Ignore it or join in. The standard of care is everyone’s responsibility.

Asked to Do Something Outside Your Role

  • What to do: Support where you can or find the right person. Escalate repeat issues to leadership.

  • What not to do: Say “Not my job” or leave someone hanging.

They May Not Remember What You Did, But They Will Remember How You Made Them Feel

When you enter a room, you bring more than clinical skills—you bring a presence. You bring professionalism, empathy, and humanity. Whether your patient is alert or not, responsive or not, they feel your tone. They feel your care.

Bedside manner is not a task on a checklist—it’s a commitment to the kind of healthcare provider you choose to be. Each interaction with a patient is a chance to affirm that commitment. This guide isn’t meant to be read once and forgotten; it should live in your daily practice.

The legacy of NJ Respiratory is built on this standard—and our future depends on continuing it. If every patient walked out of their stay able to speak, we want them to say: “They treated me with respect. They treated me like a person.”

Let that be our goal, every day, with every patient.