Being a nurse is a crucial job. It is the job of the nurse to take care of patients, attend meetings with physicians and manage several hospital tasks. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system as nurses supervise administrative tasks and keep the healthcare system safe from losses. However, some nurses fail to accomplish this. Whether it is their attitude or inability to understand patient complaints, they do not do justice to their profession. These simple mistakes can be easily corrected and handled. Therefore, worry not; it is not the end of your career, and you can still make amends!
Noted down are ten simple ways you can pick that will help you become a better nurse that is helpful to society and the healthcare system.
These are as follows:
Specialization:
With the ever-changing world, the demand for skilled nurses has increased. Healthcare systems prefer a skillful nurse with a higher degree or experience. Therefore, to be a better and more efficient nurse, you must look for specializations. After completing the RN or BSN degree, you can go for higher studies in different fields of your choice like a cardiac nurse, clinical nurse, critical care nurse, or family nurse practitioner. You can opt for classes on campus, but online courses are also available to continue your practice and earn a higher degree simultaneously. For example, suppose you choose to be a family nurse practitioner. In that case, you will have to complete an MSN Family Nurse Practitioner degree. After that, you can then work as a primary health care worker in almost every healthcare facility and deal with a wide variety of cases from all age groups. You can even diagnose illnesses, perform medical exams and prescribe medications to patients. Thus, specializing in any nursing field will not only widen your knowledge and enhance your skills but will also open new doors for you!
Communicate and connect with patients:
Communication is the key to becoming a better nurse. Establish proper communication with your patients, listen to their queries, and answer them accordingly. During their treatment, most patients require some communication and consolation. To fulfill these demands, you can either choose verbal or non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication includes maintaining eye contact, respecting the patient’s boundaries, and providing physical touch. These skills will help you deal with the patient, efficiently address the situation, and help the patient relax. Nurses act as a bridge between patients, their family members, doctors, and the overall health department. They receive and convey critical information like patient records, allergy charts, and food preferences. If such things are not communicated or changed, they may result in a catastrophe.
Be Respectful:
Patient respect is considered an ethical responsibility and quality of a nurse. This world is full of people with different personalities and versatile natures that may be difficult to handle and tolerate. Due to fear of treatment, even the kind patients behave differently. As a nurse, you must tackle this changing nature of the patients to excel in your nursing career. You must maintain a respectful yet professional boundary with your patient. For example, a patient or a family member may be under stress and, as a result, they might ask you the same question many times. In such situations, you have to put your nursing skills in place, be empathetic, and handle the situation respectfully.
Be Flexible:
Nurses have to deal with many uncertain issues in the healthcare department. Whether it is a sudden emergency, the timing of the job, or a ton-load of patients, nurses have to manage it all. Being flexible will make a nurse adaptable to the changing environment of the healthcare department. For example, sometimes unforeseeable emergencies may occur right when your shift is about to end. And it will be your job to provide urgent medical care to patients. Thus, you must be flexible enough to handle the situation and adapt accordingly.
Be Punctual:
Punctuality is one of the main qualities of a successful nurse. Time management is pretty crucial in healthcare settings. Helping patients with medications and balancing other tasks on time is a fundamental quality of a successful nurse.
Be Neat:
Nurses must be neat and well-kept all the time. Keeping a well-groomed and neat look will have a pleasant effect on your patients and everyone around you. Maintaining good hygiene will also lead to lesser chances of infections and will keep you energized. Similarly, a neat and clean workplace is also necessary as it represents you as a nurse.
Discretion:
Patient confidentiality is one of the oaths taken by a nurse. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, patients’ information should be confidential. Violating this act will result in penalties and punishments for the healthcare provider. Patient records should only be shared with their permission. Therefore, to be a successful nurse, you must respect patient confidentiality and be extremely careful while sharing patient treatment records and files.
Show Empathy:
Nurses should be empathetic towards their patients. Some patients tend to be quite irritating and often require constant monitoring and attention. With such patients, nurses should remain calm and composed. Nurses should empathize with the patient and provide them with care while keeping a smile on their faces. For example, a patient suffering from a life-threatening disease may feel depressed and agitated. Still, just a smiling face can make their day better.
Prioritize:
A nurse should be well-organized enough to deal with loads of patients, each with a different disease or clinical presentation on time. To tackle such situations, a nurse should understand basic prioritizing skills. These skills include making a proper checklist of patient files, food allergies charts, setting alarms and timers for patient medications. These prioritizing skills will help the nurse take things in a streamlined flow.
Learn new things:
A nurse should always be open, willing, and excited to learn simple and complex tasks and apply them. For example, it could be learning an improved way of drug administration in neonates. Nurses should also learn from their mistakes and correct them by practicing the task constantly. As a nurse, you should have up-to-date knowledge and an understanding of the latest techniques in healthcare to cope with the changing world.
Conclusion:
Nurses are the superheroes of the healthcare system. They manage and care for the patients, deal with emergencies, and contribute to the smooth working of the healthcare system. Nurses should be skillful and expert so they can handle any future cases, no matter how daunting they may be. Above mentioned are some helpful tips that will help you serve humanity in a better way!
