Being a nurse is really a thankless job. Giving all the hours like a doctor, and yet not getting the same recognition as one. Certainly, they are operating and getting the tumor out, but what about the unsung heroes who are bringing the patients back to life?
With their night shifts, sponge baths, and cleaning bedpans. Plus, many health care nurses are trained in basic to advanced medicine to care for independent elderly patients at home care.
Thus, along with the academic nursing skills one learns in the four years of school, other skills are required to ace the job. In this excerpt below, we will discuss ten of the most important skills every healthcare nurse should have.
Essential Skills For Nurses To Have
These are the essential skills you should hone before the hustle of a nurse’s life knocks on your door!
1. Cooperating & Adjusting
Adaptability is probably the biggest skill any nurse can have. To begin with, nurses might not know which hospital they will end up with. The team of doctors they might get, the type of patients, and many more. This means they should know the method to adjust to any situation.
2. Communication Skills
Sometimes patients cannot, and since nurses are their primary healthcare practitioners, they always have to be good with their communication skills. Not only to always be the conveyer between the doctor and patient (and their family). But also to comprehend what the patient is trying to convey.
3. Networking Capabilities
If nurses wish to prosper in their careers, they must polish their networking skills. Along with the extra skills in their resume, it will allow them to get the news of a new job opening, better opportunities, and even better pay cuts.
4. Critical Thinking
Especially if you are someone working in the trauma group, you will have to deal with brutal emergencies and many people in pain. This means you have to come up with instantaneous solutions and have the ability to think in very stressful situations. It is in no way a job of comfort. Therefore, start building a quick-thinking tendency to prepare yourself.
5. Ability To Work Under Pressure
People working in the healthcare sector probably have the most bizarre shifts. This means it is no 9-5 job, just like your friends and family members. Somedays, there might be emergencies, and you have to make it through a 24-hour shift. You will realize early on that there is no place for complaining, and you have to adapt to the work pressure. The trick is to find your passion in the field and focus on prospering. Plus, take advantage of your leaves to rest and prepare for the weekend.
6. Professionalism Toward Job
As a nurse, you will be dealing with different kinds of patients every day. Some will be cordial to your help, some will be too injured to say anything, and some will definitely be a pain. The code of conduct as a healthcare professional is to show the same amount of empathy and care towards all. A professional nurse will know how to compartmentalize and not let their emotions get the worst of you.
7. Showing Empathy When Needed
Empathy and compassion towards the one dealing with excruciating physical pain are one of the important characteristics of a nurse. An empathetic nurse will understand their parent’s requirements better and customize their treatment plan. Essentially speeding up the cure for the patients.
8. Confidence In Capability
The stress and pressure can make anyone doubt their capabilities. However, as a nurse, they have to remember that nothing is more important than holding steady confidence in their nursing capabilities. The patients are already losing their hope, and you can’t do the same.
9. Dependability
This brings us to the next skill a nurse should have. The ability to allow others to be dependent on her. Patients who are under critical care or elderly home care also deal with mild depression from the constant physical ailment. Therefore, having a nurse whom they can lean on in their difficulties helps their healing process. Plus, a nurse like that will always have good words. With hard work, one can secure nurse sponsorship in the USA.
10. Time Management
Time is what a nurse scarcely has in hand. Within the time they do, they require to find themselves the time to understand their patients, study their medical requirements, help the doctors, and all the while take time for themselves. This is why learning time management to deal with everything on your shoulder and not lose your mind at the same time.
