Nursing skills are a combination of soft and hard skills that are needed to accurately and efficiently take care of patients. These skills also form part of day-to-day tasks that involve administrative duties that ensure nurses can work effectively with other healthcare professionals to be able to provide comprehensive support to both the medical team and the patient(s).
Just like any other skills, nursing skills can always be improved upon- for example, methods of communication can be enhanced by listening more intently and taking more copious notes, observation can be done more skillfully by becoming more aware of patients’ body language, and teamwork can be amplified by learning about other’s roles and when team members might need support.
There are many skills that can be boosted, and various ways to go about doing that. Read about our top three ways to enhance your nursing skills below.
1. Don’t stop learning
Learning to improve your skills can be done in different ways. One of these is to observe other healthcare professionals with different knowledge and experience to yours- by watching how others perform tasks and listen to the information that they convey, you can enhance your own by reflecting and implementing it as is necessary. Another avenue to explore is continuing education- whether it’s a course on soft skills (such as communication, problem-solving, or leadership, for example) or a degree to learn new technical skills, there are options available for every skill that you seek to improve.
2. Read, read, read
Staying updated on the latest industry news and research is a great way to boost your knowledge and gain insight into skills and techniques that you’re unfamiliar with or that you’d like to build upon. There are various publications at your disposal that could help you learn about the latest developments in the medical field such as scientific journals, case reports, reviews, commentaries, and editorials to name but a few. They also don’t need to necessarily be limited to your specialty- By reading about different specialties, you open yourself up to understanding your own skills and experience in a different light.
3. Join a nursing organization
Nursing organizations provide a plethora of opportunities to participate in not only continuing education in the field of nursing, such as having access to educational courses, but they also open up channels to acquiring information in different ways. For example, some nursing organizations provide access to conferences and medical research. These can assist you in boosting your nursing skills in more ways than one- By participating in conferences, you would be able to interact with healthcare professionals that are able to share knowledge that you may have previously been unaware of and give you the opportunity to ask questions that you didn’t even know you’ve had.
Even if you feel like you’ve mastered a craft, it would be wise to not think that there’s nothing more to learn or that nothing can be improved upon. Everything changes, especially in the medical field where research is continuously being completed and may result in changes to patient care, and patients and colleagues alike aren’t static in their behaviour.
At Greenstaff Medical Australia, we always seek to evolve in order to provide better patient care and better assistance to our nurses. We’re also always on the lookout for nursing professionals who are not just great at their specialty, but also who want to grow both personally and professionally. If you feel like you’re a match, browse through our jobs and apply to join our wonderful team!
