Nurses have a particular skill set that ensures they can manage their responsibilities well and treat patients successfully. Nurses learn and refine their clinical expertise on the job, but at the start of their careers, they must acquire certain academic skills. These ensure that as medical professionals they can communicate effectively, retain the information they are presented with and apply this knowledge to future situations.
How can academic abilities support professional success?
Academic abilities help nursing students progress through their training, excel in assessments and prepare for the workplace. Despite nursing being a largely vocational profession, it’s important that nurses have a good understanding of traditional subjects such as math, science, and literacy. People who are planning to become a nurse or working nurses who want to move up the career ladder can enroll in one of the Rockhurst University Online programs. As well as preparing students to manage the care of a diverse population, these courses include a clinical placement and nurture the academic talents nurses will need for professional success.
What skills are needed to be a nurse
Here’s a closer look at some of the most important academic proficiencies nurses need and why they can make a difference in a medical environment.
Attention to detail
Delivering any kind of medical care requires considerable attention to detail. Even when the day is busy and long, nurses have to maintain their focus, follow instructions and keep accurate notes to ensure the optimal outcomes for their patients. These habits mean they can use precise measurements when it comes to giving the correct amount of medication, which means that mistakes are less likely to cause a problem. There is often very little room for error when it comes to patient care, and nurses who take the time to notice small details will be able to spot minor but significant changes in a person’s condition, and then investigate these or notify a colleague. By responding swiftly and decisively, nurses can keep their patients safe, avoid a health event from worsening, and prevent lengthy hospital stays.
Effective note-taking
Whether nurses are receiving training in a new form of medical technology or they are updating a patient’s health records, note-taking is a key part of their work. By recording information accurately, nurses ensure that life-saving details are documented correctly and a high level of care is maintained. Events can move quickly on a ward or during a medical crisis, so part of this skill involves prioritizing the most relevant information and ensuring that key details are highlighted. This means the next person who reads a patient’s notes can quickly gain an understanding of the patient’s condition and move to treat the problem.
Nurses must also be adept at note-taking due to the fast-paced nature of their work. Without fast and effective note-taking, nurses may forget or miss key details in the event of an emergency, and this may impact a patient’s recovery.
Clinical reasoning
Often referred to as clinical reasoning or critical thinking, this skill is used by clinicians every day to analyze the details of a case thoroughly, make an accurate diagnosis, and then create an effective treatment plan. It involves a nurse bringing together the medical knowledge they gained in their education and practical patient care, then looking at the evidence in front of them and combining the two to reach a logical conclusion. By improving this ability, nurses can help formulate a care plan faster. This reduces costs, boosts efficiency, and, more importantly, ensures that the patient’s condition improves as quickly as possible. Clinical reasoning is one of the most challenging skills to perfect and will be honed over years of clinical practice and through a dedication to professional development.
Verbal communication
To avoid misunderstandings with patients or colleagues, failures in following protocol, and medical errors, nurses must prioritize effective verbal communication. Nurses must tailor their responses to suit their audience, bearing in mind a person’s medical literacy, their age, and their cultural background. In any situation, they must strive to be honest in their responses, provide accurate feedback and be clear about their views. Part of this involves managing their own emotions to prevent stress or frustration from affecting their tone of voice or interactions with colleagues and patients.
Nurses use verbal techniques such as asking patients to repeat back information or posing open-ended questions. These encourage patients to open up, allow for a more accurate diagnosis, and ensure there is no confusion on important aspects of a care plan. Instead of using complex medical terms and scientific jargon, nurses use complete sentences and straightforward, accessible explanations.
Effective listening
When nurses are working as part of a medical team, listening is essential. It helps them to understand their patient’s feelings and perspectives and to ensure the treatment they provide is appropriate. Effective listening involves taking onboard what another person is saying without jumping to conclusions and making snap judgments. Effective listening is not just about receiving information—nurses will also listen actively, concentrate on what is being said, and aim to empathize with the concerns of their patients or colleagues. In doing so they build trust with the person they are speaking with and are better placed to understand the issues being raised.
Genuinely listening to co-workers makes collaborations run more smoothly. It promotes constructive debate and honest discussions, meaning everyone on the team feels confident in sharing their views. In this way, listening can contribute to a more thoroughly researched conclusion or solution. In terms of patient interactions, active listening can assist nurses with choosing a treatment or creating a recovery plan. Moreover, it can address issues such as non-compliance by identifying a person’s fears or misunderstandings and addressing these at the earliest stage.
Conclusion
Nurses are a vital part of healthcare and require particular skills to give the best quality of care. Attention to detail and effective note-taking on patients’ health issues ensures them to act quickly to establish the issue with the patient or if the patient deteriorates they can react quickly. Good clinical reasoning will allow nurses to look the evidence in front of them and enact treatments and care efficiently. But also, listening is a crucial part of being a nurse, to understand their patients and fellow staff and establish the facts around a patient’s health to be able to conduct the relevant care.