The healthcare industry is evolving and improving every day, and each member of this sector is a contributing factor behind its betterment. Especially after the drastic event of COVID-19, the world’s reliance on a strong healthcare system increased at an unprecedented rate. It led to an uncontrollable shortage of workers, increased costs, and emphasis on every system flaw. Hence, it is necessary to improve and make all concerned authorities enhance their performance.
Nurses are one of the most vital parts of the healthcare system, and the public widely knows their profession as a rendition of honesty and ethics. They contribute their knowledge and efforts towards improving patient outcomes, and hence they are among the most trustable staff members in a hospital setting. Patients’ reliance on their nurses for quality care, self-care education, advocacy, and empathy make them the building blocks of any healthcare setting.
Nurses utilize their extensive knowledge and long hours of clinical experience to make their patients’ lives easier and enhance the quality of care. Nurses have unique skills and abilities that help strategize the most beneficial techniques to improve the healthcare system. Let’s have a look at some of how nurses can perform better in healthcare.
1. Be Willing to Learn More
Nursing education is a comprehensive academic path and can help interested medical students find their niche. From non-degree diplomas to a doctorate in nursing, there is a long but fruitful way for nursing students to enhance their knowledge and skills. The most significant step towards professional courses is an RN to BSN Degree which helps with escalating towards more specific and detailed educational experiences. Nurses are always ready and willing to learn more through academic courses and clinical experiences to improve their performance. They understand the importance of staying up-to-date with changing policies and catering to their self-growth. They need to stay abreast with the day-to-day happening and advances of the medical world. It adds to their experiences and is conducive to improving the quality of care.
2. Have Patient-Oriented Mind Set
To perform better in a healthcare setting, nurses need to have a patient-oriented mindset. Nurses should focus their work, efforts, and energy solely on the betterment of their patients. They shouldn’t be too caught up in their task management that they forget the importance of being there for their patients. Successful and most reliable nurses make holistic care approach the most significant part of their caregiving. They don’t only focus on the physical wellbeing of the patient but also help them heal emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. They don’t talk to patients about their health only for medical records, but they pay closer attention and listen. This approach and mindset help them analyze the needs and necessities of patients and become an advocate for them.
3. Set SMART Personal Goals
Nurses have to complete many jobs at a time, so they need to have adequate capabilities of multi-tasking. But since they’re human beings, their brain works in similar ways as other humans. Hence, nurses need to set personal goals and aims for themselves. To manage time and tasks effectively, these objectives should be SMART; specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-specific.
These small day-to-day goals can help them create To-Do lists, which they can modify throughout the day, and keep track of their activities. Instead of just walking in on their shift unprepared, it is better if nurses make a list of their plans throughout the day and keep checking it to figure out their next task. They should also expand these personal objectives to long-term goals to have clarity, purpose, and direction. These aims help them decide their future in this career, like what they need to study next, where they need to travel, and when they can apply for a better job? Having a clear perspective about their present and future is conducive to finding more opportunities to bring a positive change in patients’ lives.
4.Practice Efficient Communication
Nurses are effortlessly understanding, and hence, their patients trust them more than their physicians. They are more reliable, so they should be able to maintain excellent communication with patients and their families. This skill is necessary because it improves overall performance and enhances patient satisfaction, leading to a speedy recovery. Successful, empathetic nurses learn ways of understanding the body language of their patients. It helps them gauge their physical pain and their mental condition.
They know when to approach the patient gently and act as their lively friend according to their comfort. Nurses must have a connection with their patients to easily trust them with their problems and help doctors reach the root of their illnesses more effectively. They should also practice efficient communication with patients’ families to keep them involved and informed about medical procedures.
Nurses should communicate efficiently with other staff members, physicians, patients, and their families so that adequate information reaches the relevant people. They should be willing to learn more and have personal goals to experience proper self-growth and achieve self-actualization. And lastly, they should be people-oriented and use patient-centric approaches to improve the caregiving process.
