How do you define a good nurse? Probably as someone careful, attentive, responsible, devoted to providing the highest quality of care to their patients. Good nurses help patients navigate their disrupted lives and fight chronic illnesses upfront. Nurses are always at the forefront to help patients get back on their feet. Thus, nurses work day in and day out to make a difference in the lives of millions.
As a nurse, you probably aspire to be one that patients love and respect. However, becoming such a good nurse is not akin to slicing cake. Besides acquiring the proper education, nurses require some intangible skills to help them achieve their and patients’ goals. Working on your skills and personality will ultimately boost your career growth.
If you are on the lookout for some tips to help you care better for your patients and bolster your career growth, you have come to the right place. Read through to find the secret to becoming a better nurse.
Never stop learning
Every profession keeps evolving. But when it comes to nursing, improvements occur faster than other professions because of evolving disease types and treatment procedures. Thus, the most crucial step in becoming a better nurse is furthering your education.
Registered nurses can learn ways to provide the highest quality of care to their patients with a bachelor’s in nursing. A bachelor’s degree in nursing helps nurses hone their skills and become adept in their jobs. Moreover, you can also grow your career in nursing with a BSN through increased career mobility, employer preference, higher pay, and diverse job opportunities. Thus, earn a BSN and make your career dreams come true.
Connect with your patients
Some nurses tend to focus on the tasks they need to complete more than their patients. Sometimes, this makes them overlook the patients’ needs. While being vigilant about work is good, it isn’t all that great if it comes at the expense of patient care. Patients feel vulnerable in the new environment and need support to accept their illness. That’s where a nurse comes in. Nurse-patient interaction is very crucial in improving patient outcomes. Thus, nurses need to take a patient-centered approach and provide undivided attention to every patient.
As a nurse, you need to build a strong rapport with your patients. You can achieve this goal with simple steps like addressing them by their names and greeting them every time you enter their room. Moreover, maintain eye contact while talking to them. Eye contact communicates compassion and connection. Brief them about their condition and treatment goals. Also, ask them if they need anything before you leave.
Enhance your communication skills
The skills that underlie effective patient-nurse communication are communication skills. You can never be a good nurse without good communication skills. Not only patient care but all other professional interactions also require nurses to communicate effectively. Whether reporting to doctors, conversing with your fellow nurses, or educating your patients, communicate clearly. You need to be able to engage the people around you to ensure good nursing practice.
Especially when talking to your patients, speak in a way they can understand. Using too much medical jargon in your conversation may hinder their understanding and become a barrier to their recovery. Also, it can make patients confused. So, be mindful while talking to your patients. Click here for some tips to polish your communication skills.
Look for a mentor
At the beginning of your nursing journey, workplace challenges may take you by surprise. Mentors help new nurses navigate such challenges in their careers. You can easily tackle unprecedented work demands under the mentorship of nurses with years of experience. Most hospitals and medical facilities offer mentorship programs for educating and training new nurses. Such programs allow nurses to network with experienced medical professionals, receive coaching, learn new skills, or job shadow another nurse.
If your workplace does not offer such opportunities, look for a mentor on your own. How? Just identify the person you admire the most among your seniors and follow their working style. Closely observe their methods and ask them for their feedback on your work. They will help you identify where you lack as a nurse.
Stay current and ask questions
As a nurse, you need to keep up with the latest nursing practices and medical treatments. Gaining an insight into innovative developments and diversity in medicine can help you nurture your nursing skills. There are several ways you can opt for enhancing your knowledge. These include subscribing to international nursing journals, reading your hospital’s newsletters, attending conferences, taking lectures, and more. If you don’t have time for such activities, simply Google the topics you are interested in and read up. You will find what you need quickly.
Also, an essential part of your nursing practice is to ask a question whenever you find yourself muddled. Taking precautions and questioning is crucial as it concerns the life and health of your patients.
Take care of yourself
As you are starting your journey as a nurse, numerous unforeseen challenges will come along in your journey. To steer past these hurdles and achieve your career goals, you must stay fit and healthy. For the health of your patients, you need to look after yourself first.
Whenever you feel like you are losing interest in the job you once loved, struggle to get a good sleep or eat, take a break. These are the most common symptoms of burnout. So, in such a condition, you are more likely to make errors or cut edges. Instead of playing with your life and your patients’ life, take a break, recuperate, and return to work with high spirits.
Conclusion
Nursing comes with unique challenges. And only a good nurse with various skills and unparalleled potential can last in this highly stressful yet rewarding job. Becoming a good nurse takes time and effort. To make an effort worthwhile, you need to adhere to some helpful tips to make this task easier. This article mentions a few tips that fit into what you are looking for. In other words, you need to gain new knowledge, connect with your patients, communicate effectively, and stay updated on recent advancements in the healthcare sector. Also, following in the footsteps of a mentor can help you become what you have always aspired to be, i.e., a better nurse.