Given its dynamic and transformative nature, the healthcare sector is witnessing high demand in today’s era. Now more than ever, the field of nursing is experiencing unprecedented growth due to the evolving roles and responsibilities. Nursing is a growing career with lucrative opportunities for advancement and offers high job satisfaction. According to USA Today, the demand for advanced practice registered nurses is expected to grow at an incredible rate of 52% in the upcoming years. Moreover, enrollment in nursing schools will grow even more by 2030 as people have realized the need and value of healthcare workers. The rise in enrollment in nursing schools started amidst the coronavirus pandemic, not just in the US but in different regions of the world.
Nonetheless, in every field, professionals are required to build relevant skills and qualities to propel their careers. Now the primary question that arises is, what can one do to propel their nursing career? If you’re already a registered nurse or someone who aspires to become a nurse, you’ve come to the right place. Here we’re unfolding some of the essential in-demand nursing skills for you to stand out in the crowd:
Technical Skills
In the modern age, technical skills have become essential in nursing as technology is reshaping the entire healthcare sector. Nurses have to embrace technology, whether for managing electronic health record systems or using Telehealth tools.
Moreover, nurses specializing in any area or domain are now compelled to familiarize themselves with advanced software and systems. Since healthcare organizations worldwide are leveraging technological innovations to streamline processes, nurses will have to follow suit. So, whether you are striving for a career as a family nurse practitioner or oncology nurse, you have to develop technical skills. For nurses seeking to advance their FNP career, pursuing online masters programs will prove worthwhile. Alongside instilling essential nursing skills, this online program allows professionals to simultaneously manage work and educational responsibilities.
Undoubtedly, eLearning serves as a beneficial option for healthcare professionals striving to enhance their knowledge base and skillset.
Flexibility and adaptability
A nurse’s day is never the same. As a result, you’ll need to be adaptable to anything that comes your way. There may be last-minute adjustments to your treatment plans or timetable shifts. Paperwork may be sped up or slowed down. What’s more, at times, your seniors might make unexpected requests that’ll catch you off guard. Therefore, an ideal nurse should possess the ability to multitask, be adaptable, and keep moving forward despite all the disturbance in the surroundings.
When dealing with difficult patients or colleagues, diplomacy is a convenient skill for a nurse. Being patient with everyone around is a valuable asset in a nurse’s arsenal. So, work on sharpening your flexibility and adaptability skills to boost your career.
Teamwork
According to the Multi-Professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide published by the WHO, effective teamwork in delivering quality healthcare positively affects patients’ well-being. Teamwork among the nurses is vital as it enables nurses on different floors or units of the hospital to work together with other healthcare workers. Since patients have unique issues, healthcare teams intend to deliver optimal patient care through communication and teamwork.
Moreover, effective teamwork and collaboration significantly reduce the chances of medical errors and negligence. It ensures that each patient receives the care they deserve, with no delays caused by communication challenges among the workers.
Effective Communication
Unarguably, one of the most crucial responsibilities of nurses is communicating with patients, their families, and the entire healthcare organization at hand. They must listen to and comprehend their patients’ problems to assess conditions and develop treatment programs. They must also be able to adequately and effectively communicate any instructions given to patients, such as following their diet plan to recover faster. Nurses who pay attention to their patients and understand their concerns are well prepared to deal with their patients’ various problems, which leads to better outcomes.
On the other hand, lack of communication can result in patients misinterpreting instructions and failing to follow treatment protocols. Hence, effective communication is essential in every aspect of nursing.
Critical Thinking
Nurses are confronted with new patients, illnesses, and scenarios every day. Additionally, healthcare organizations constantly battle unpredictable situations, and the pandemic further validated this fact. Existing patients may get new symptoms or have an adverse reaction to treatment or drugs. A nurse should be able to ‘critically’ evaluate the situation and make viable decisions.
Moreover, today’s dynamic healthcare system demands awareness and alertness to adjust to shifting scenarios, diverse patient requirements, and a rotating team. Nurses must work on their critical skills to manage every possible scenario, expected or unexpected.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is one of the most crucial skills required in the modern age in almost all fields that involve people management. Nurses generally have a wide range of human-centric responsibilities. Still, the primary purpose of a nurse is to give high-quality care to each patient without their emotions intervening in the process. Without emotional intelligence, handling patients and managing burnout would become challenging.
Emotional intelligence boosts self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social skills, and empathy. All of which are essential factors that improve the nurse-patient relationship. Nowadays, especially in the post-Covid-19 era, nurses worldwide are experiencing high levels of burnout. For this purpose, honing emotional intelligence would prove instrumental in coping with stress and compassion fatigue.
Final Thoughts
Nursing is a fulfilling human-centric professional path that allows one to positively influence people’s lives and improve their well-being. The pandemic reminded nations worldwide of the significance of nurses, which further led to heightened demand for this field. Nonetheless, while this career path comes with several benefits, it demands nurses remain abreast of changing healthcare transformations. Every passing year, the healthcare sector witnesses major shifts due to technological advancements and emerging diseases. For this purpose, nurses must enhance their skill set and work on their academic profiles to keep pace with this industry. Whether it’s emotional intelligence, critical thinking, or communication, each skill will prove instrumental in propelling your nursing career to unprecedented heights.
