Social Stories for Patients: Getting a Shot

2025-05-30

We’re talking about social stories today. We’ll cover what a social story is and how you can use one to help a patient feel more comfortable about getting a shot. To read the FULL show notes, visit https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast, and choose episode 332. My name is Kim Newlove. I’m an Ohio pharmacist and a full-time caregiver for my adult son with autism. I used a social story to prepare my son for a shot at our local pharmacy in February. It worked great, and he seemed less stressed at the ...

We’re talking about social stories today. We’ll cover what a social story is and how you can use one to help a patient feel more comfortable about getting a shot.

To read the FULL show notes, visit https://www.thepharmacistsvoice.com/podcast, and choose episode 332.

My name is Kim Newlove. I’m an Ohio pharmacist and a full-time caregiver for my adult son with autism. I used a social story to prepare my son for a shot at our local pharmacy in February. It worked great, and he seemed less stressed at the pharmacy. Social stories could help your patients (and children), too.

Social stories are short, simple stories that prepare someone for a situation. In the case of getting a shot, you (the pharmacist/student/tech) are trying to make getting a shot predictable for your patient by explaining what they’ll experience in layman's terms. Empathy is important. Focus on them and their experience.

In this episode, I use a custom example and explain how useful visual aides are. You can tell a verbal story or read a written one to your patient. You could record a video and share it on social media. Parents and caregivers can create social stories or consume your pharmacy’s stories, too.

There’s more than one way to get a social story right. You can add custom features, like affirmations, comfort items, rewards, and more. You can share a social story minutes before a shot or a week before. Use what works for the individual you are serving.

Thank you for listening to episode 332 of The Pharmacist’s Voice Podcast. Please share this episode with anyone who needs to learn about Social Stories. Follow this podcast for all future episodes.

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