How To Become A Top Nurse In Your Field

Becoming a nurse involves much more than just earning your degree. Of course, it requires you to have very specific skills in order to provide the best possible care for your patients. Most commonly, these attributes include genuine empathy, ability to teach patients what you know, nurturing health-conscious behavior, and above all, maintaining good communication. According to your specific wishes and abilities, at some point you have to choose your nursing specialty. Being a top-notch nurse in your field dictates you excel at the aforementioned skills, and consider them essential to your work. Some of these skills can be acquired through advances in your career, but there’s still much to learn. Being a nurse is a never ending learning process. Hence, here are some crucial skills every nurse should acquire.

Think critically

Nursing is a very complex and demanding job. In order to be at the top of your game, you have to think several moves ahead. You need to be able to asses a patient critically in order to determine their medical needs, while taking numerous factors and potential outcomes into account.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Nurses

Communicate effectively

Clear and straightforward communication with your patients is key to understanding how patients are feeling and what they are concerned about. Communicating effectively indicates you have proper listening abilities, and that you can speak clearly and concisely. Therefore, communication will go a long way in becoming a top nurse.

Organize efficiently

Nurses often need to deal with multiple patients simultaneously. Of course, each patient has their own personal and critical requirements, as well as emotional needs. In order to handle this, remaining organized and keeping track of who your patients are, details about their treatment, and significant details about personal conditions that can aid them in recovery.

Be an involved staff member

Another key to become a top-notch nurse in your field is to participate in meetings and join committees. It’s recommended to make suggestions to your manager about how you can improve the functionality of your unit. Participate in important decisions and earn the trust of your colleagues.

Related: 10 Different Certifications You Should Know About

Be detail-oriented

Being detail-orientated involves accuracy and informed judgment in both large and small situations. In medicine, even the smallest symptom or anomaly can have repercussions, so being detail-oriented will ensure patients get the exact treatment they require.  Nursing is situational-awareness incarnate, and the ability to tackle a problem with a specific tool and adapt to evolving situations, is a key trait of the profession.

Attend conferences

Learning new things is always a plus. This is especially true in the nursing profession where new discoveries are being made every day. In order to become a top-notch nurse in your field and expand your knowledge, attend educational sessions and conferences. This way you may learn about innovative procedures, new treatment options, and the ability to exchange experiences with fellow nurses of varying fields.

Subscribe to nursing journals

Attending conferences sometimes isn’t enough. In order to be the best possible nurse, subscribe to nursing journals in your particular field. Remain knowledgeable about new developments and research in your practice, as knowledge is the key to success.

Be professional

Like with any demanding job, it is essential to leave the baggage of life at home, and not subject your patients or coworkers to negative attitudes and behaviors. When you are at work, your patients should be your foremost concern. Try to shut down negative feelings and focus only on patients. In case you are not happy with your job, make a move to another area of nursing. Fortunately there are a plethora of environments to work in, and there is no room for moody behavior in the field.

Being a nurse involves a lot of dedication and effort in order to become successful. Moreover, it includes constant learning and expanding of your knowledge. But above all, if you love your job, you are already halfway to becoming an extraordinary nurse. Follow these tips (and your gut feeling), and you’ll be at the top of your game in no time!

Related: The International Nurses Association is pleased to welcome Jacqueline Jane Clason, RN, Ba App Sc-Nursing, CM to their prestigious organization with her upcoming publication in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare.

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