So, are you curious to learn how to be an amazing nurse? Today, nurses are among the most trusted and respected healthcare professionals who sometimes also spend more time with patients than doctors. Becoming an awesome nurse requires diligence, commitment, and dedication for providing patient care. If you want to be one of the best nurses, ensure you understand what it takes.
Let’s explore various tips and strategies you’ll need to excel in your role as a nurse and make a positive impact on a patient’s well-being. Whether you are an inexperienced nurse or a veteran, you can find valuable information here to help you become an awesome nurse.
A glance at the career outlook for nursing professionals reveals nurses make $77,000 a year on average, and this job is growing by 6% as of 2021. Many registered nurses (RNs) are ambitious about career advancement and seek ways to improve their jobs. They know that honing their skills can easily help them climb the ladder of success. So, what are the tricks behind being an awesome nurse? Here are some suggestions:
Focus on improving your nursing education and harnessing your medical expertise. A determined novice nurse never stops learning and continues to update their know-how. Fortunately, EdTech makes upskilling and reskilling fairly simple. You can look for quality Nursing Programs Online and hone your knowledge remotely. These online programs involve BSN and MSN programs for RNs, in which you can also choose a specialization. These programs teach important skills that help you improve patient care and become “awesome” at your work.
Effective communication makes you a better nurse and allows you to address patients’ concerns on their behalf. RNs should be approachable so patients can bring any problem to their attention. Also, effective communication involves both verbal and non-verbal language. Your gestures can sometimes make patients think you’re not attentive enough. So, also focus on your body language to make the patient feel heard. Miscommunication can be lethal in your profession.
Several studies have been done on the effect of humor in stressful workplaces. These studies show that humor helps nurses deal with stressful situations and spread cheerfulness in the workplace. Humor doesn’t just improve your personality, but it also serves as a coping mechanism. It can prevent burnout, relieve depression, manage workplace conflicts with peers, and let you engage with your patients in a friendly way. Just set some boundaries when engaging in a humorous conversation with patients.
What does empathy mean? It refers to your ability to look at things from a patient’s perspective by “putting yourself in that patient’s shoes.” This helps you imagine and feel their pain and fuels your desire to help patients. If you’re suffering from “compassion fatigue” because of an extensive workload, then take a break from work.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) has become important for healthcare professionals today. With the rise in mental health problems, doctors and nurses can’t produce optimal patient outcomes unless they keep their emotions in check. Medical settings – particularly ER and trauma centers – can easily exhaust a nurse’s patience and make them impatient. So, learn to control your emotions and prepare for anything with bravado.
A nurse’s responsibilities include dealing with erratic patients, so watching or even suffering from a patient’s violent behavior is normal. Surveys suggest 8% to 38% of nurses suffer from healthcare-related violence. The job also requires physical endurance. For instance, an old survey shows that nurses working 12-hour shifts walk 4 to 5 miles while on duty. So, becoming amazing at this job requires building your stamina, and regular exercise is the best way to do that. Be sure to clock in at least 150 minutes of exercise every week. This can include a walk in the park or cardio at the gym. Being fit and able to withstand hardships makes you awesome and badass.
Respecting your patients’ privacy makes you a more trustworthy and ethical healthcare professional while enhancing patients’ trust in the system. Don’t forget that patient confidentiality is a solemn bond of trust between patients and caregivers; breaking this bond will lessen public confidence in healthcare. More importantly, it will tarnish your reputation as a nurse.
Some experts have called patient advocacy a core principle of modern-day healthcare. As a nurse, your job is to protect your patients and prevent injury. This involves advocating on their behalf when they aren’t receiving the best treatment and informing them when someone offers unfair options. Double-check a patient’s medications and dosages to decrease any chance of medical mistakes. Educate your patient by explaining what medicines are being administered and how they make the patient healthier.
Attention-oriented RNs are more productive and generate better patient outcomes. Studies show that 250,000+ people succumb to medical mistakes every year in the United States, making them the third-biggest cause of death in the country. Being detail-oriented can prevent these fatalities. Double-check patient dosages, read all labels correctly, and learn patient names to avoid giving the wrong drug to the wrong person.
What better way to become an awesome nurse than learning to be one from another! You should find any seniors willing to share relevant insights into what it means to be a good nurse. You can learn from their experiences, observe how they react to different circumstances, and how they deal with difficult patients. Many organizations provide RNs with mentorship opportunities so they can develop their skills professionally under a senior nurse’s guidance. Be on the look out for such places to work.
What makes a nurse awesome? Excellent nurses communicate with patients effectively, empathize with them, are detail-oriented, and don’t shy away from enhancing their education. They regulate their emotions while treating patients, respect their privacy, and advocate on their behalf when necessary. Fitness makes a nurse awesome; increase your endurance to become a good nurse. Also, develop a sense of humor if you wish to be well-liked by your peers and clients. But, most importantly, a great nurse focuses on continued learning and leverages online programs to stay well-informed. Use these tips to become an “awesome” nurse now.
