Clowning Around
Nurses find that a healthy dose of humor often works wonders for both patients and staff

By Linda Childers
May 8, 2003

The elderly man had just undergone hip replacement surgery and although he was progressing well, his mood remained somber.

His children commented that it was rare to see their father without a smile. He was famous for his wry sense of humor and endless supply of snappy one-liners.

When his nurse arrived with his medications that evening, the patient looked up in surprise-his usually well-coiffed nurse was wearing rabbit ears.

"I heard you requested a Playboy bunny," the nurse deadpanned. "But this was all that your insurance company would pay for."

The man chuckled for the first time in weeks.

Patty Wooten, RN, a public health nurse and a clown, is one of many health care practitioners who have discovered that laughter is indeed the best medicine. Wooten, who lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., has spent the past 18 years working as a national expert and motivational speaker in the field of therapeutic humor.

"Laughter can be a powerful therapy for both the patient and the caregiver," Wooten said. "It breaks tension and monotony and creates a human-to-human bond."

Her company, Jest for the Health of It!, is dedicated to the promotion and development of therapeutic humor. Wooten travels the country helping nurses and other health care professionals understand how to use humor to improve their working environments and client satisfaction.

"Being a nurse today, with the nursing shortage, can be very stressful," Wooten said. "I show nurses how to use humor to combat stress."

The best part is that nurses need no previous comedic experience when implementing humor in the workplace.

"You don't have to be a stand-up comic to be funny," Wooten said. "Just give yourself permission to have downtime in your job, be playful and share a comedic moment with a colleague or patient."

Wooten works with nurses to create simple comedy shrines at their worksites. Whether it's posting cartoons in the report room or humorous bumper stickers under the desk at the nursing station, there are ways to incorporate humor that don't take a lot of time or effort but can make a huge difference in morale.

One of Wooten's favorite bumper stickers reads: "I try to take things one day at a time, but lately the days have attacked me all at once."

"Imagine this bumper sticker posted at a busy nursing station," Wooten said. "Every time the nurses pass by, they can't help but smile, because we've all had those kind of days."

Wooten also teaches nurses how to effectively use humor with patients. As a critical care nurse, she has observed firsthand how humor can be used effectively in caring for patients.

"Many years ago, Norman Cousins used the positive emotions of faith, hope, laughter and joy to counteract the effects of a stressful lifestyle that he believed had led to his illness," Wooten said. "To create positive emotions and the healing atmosphere that Cousins has suggested, many hospitals have created humor rooms, comedy carts and even employ clowns to make rounds each day."

Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Fla., launched a therapeutic humor program in 1989, called the Comedy Connection.

One of the program's first projects was introducing patients to the hospital's comedy cart, filled with humorous audio cassettes, cartoon albums, videotapes, humor books, small games, costumes, props and magic tricks.

"Our most popular requests are for VCRs with funny movies," said Leslie Gibson, RN, who was involved in the planning and implementation of the cart. "They help patients take their minds off of the fear or pain they often experience when trapped in a hospital bed."

The Comedy Connection also trains "caring clowns" who go on clown rounds traveling from room to room, bringing cheer to both patients and staff.

Caring clowns differ drastically from the clowns that appear in circuses or parades. Rather than being bold, bumbling and noisy, caring clowns who work in hospitals and nursing homes are gentle, soft and empathetic. A good caring clown should be sensitive, able to read nonverbal body language and possess good listening skills.

In addition, hospital clowns at Morton Plant Hospital are required to follow JCAHO training and to take yearly TB tests and safety courses.

Donna Smilow, RN, of Martinez, Calif., became a caring clown six years ago. A trauma surgical nurse, Smilow was seeking balance in her life and an outlet for her stress.

Working as a trauma and surgical nurse for the past 16 years, Smilow had experienced more death and despair than most people see in a lifetime. After giving birth to her first child, Holli, she decided to find a way to incorporate more fun and flexibility into her life.

A newspaper article about the Concord School of Clownology in Pleasant Hill, Calif., led Smilow to a career in clowning.

"Clowning is my medicine," Smilow said. "I truly believe that it's saved me from stress."

Smilow's clown career has become so successful and rewarding that she now works only as a per diem nurse. She has entertained adults and children throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at schools, hospitals, birthday parties and other events. Using her stage name, Loveee the Clown, she brings smiles to the masses through her unique brand of comedy, juggling and magic.

A staunch believer of humor in hospitals, Smilow often has used humor to relieve stress among patients about to undergo surgery.

"Sometimes, just donning a funny clown nose or joking around with patients can put them at ease," Smilow said. "Children especially react well to humor and seem to better understand what to expect when you explain the procedure in a friendly and fun manner."

Smilow's clowning has taken her to venues she never dreamed of visiting. A recent performance at a youth ranch for abused and neglected children caused her to shed tears behind her happy clown facade.

"There was a 5-year-old boy who had been severely abused by his mother," Smilow said. "Helping him smile and laugh was one of the most rewarding encounters I've ever experienced."

For more information on humor workshops with Patty Wooten, visit her Web site at www.jesthealth.com.

Donna Smilow and Loveee the Clown can be contacted at www.loveeetheclown.com.