Those who are considering a career in nursing may find themselves wondering what skills they need to do their jobs well. From a detailed knowledge of ways to safely administer medicines to a capacity for care and a strong bedside manner, there are plenty of proficiencies that can make all the difference to your patients if you’re in the nursing profession.
Data and safety
For many members of the public, working with data is not the first skill that springs to mind when considering what nurses tend to do on a daily basis. But the truth is that nurses increasingly have to work with data on a day-to-day basis, often to enable other healthcare professionals to perform their roles. For example, it’s often necessary for a nurse to jot down vital information about a patient’s condition, such as their heart rate; this can then be used by another professional, such as a physician, to decide what medication pathway is best. Ensuring that data is being recorded correctly will lead to better patient outcomes. This is linked to another crucial nursing skill: psychomotor skills. This requires you to be able to relate what you’re doing with your hands to what you’re thinking in order to ensure the healthcare environment you’re in functions optimally — and this can be applied and used in everything from drug dispensation to data collection.
Using medicines safely is a key part of the nursing skill set — and it’s something you’ll have to master once you qualify. While nurses do not prescribe medication, they do administer it, and you’ll need to learn how to safely administer the right quantities of the right drug, often in conjunction with another nursing professional. The ideal nursing student may already have this ability, although it’s something that can be enhanced with the right training. At an institution like Baylor University, for example, studying this and other crucial parts of the application of the nursing process are central to learning. It is said that nursing is a life of work in service to other people, and nowhere is that responsibility more greatly exemplified than in the context of ensuring that people ingest or are administered medicines safely.
Reassurance and bedside manner
All of those who work in a patient-facing healthcare setting are, of course, required by the nature of their roles to be positive towards patients and work in their best interests. As a nurse, it’s likely that you’ll be the main point of contact for the patient, so a good bedside manner for those in pain or who are otherwise suffering is vital. Without it, you may find that you’re unable to build a rapport with the patient in order to support them in achieving their health outcomes.
But while there’s no doubt that nurses need to have a good bedside manner to do a good job, it’s also the case that sometimes nursing is reduced to the bedside manner requirement — and all other aspects of the role are written off. In truth, the bedside manner is just a small part of the role, especially when set against the huge responsibilities — such as patient safety — outlined above.
Personal care
Other important skills that are required to be an effective nurse come under the umbrella of personal care. There is a wide range of skills in this bracket, not least of which is discretion. It’s likely that many of the patients to whom you will be providing personal care may be upset or embarrassed to be in this situation, and you’ll need to be able to reassure them that the experience will be handled sensitively. You’ll need to balance this with the ability to be gently authoritative in order to get the job done.
You’ll also need a set of practical skills. You are likely to need to learn how to bathe and clean a patient, for example, as this is a key part of the nursing role. You’ll also need to be sure that your safeguarding skills are up to scratch, as you’re likely to be helping patients who are in vulnerable positions. A good training course will explore safeguarding risks with you and equip you with the skills you need to be able to report any problems you come across or find the support you need from your managers.
In conclusion
Ultimately, becoming a nurse requires the ability to shift between skills, or even use different skills concurrently. You may, for example, need to analyze data on a patient’s medical record while reassuring that patient that their treatment is in hand. Doing this regularly, often for multiple days in a row, can be a real challenge, which is why getting the right training before proceeding with your life in nursing is essential.
