Do you have all the skills that you need as a nurse to succeed? No, you are not alone. Most nursing students have a limited number of essential skills for nursing. However, it is important to remember that you will not only build your skill set during a formal education, but you are constantly working on improving your skills daily. Your soft and hard skills will evolve over your career, and with practice comes substantial growth. Especially your leadership skills as a nurse.
What Soft Skills are Needed to be a Nurse?
Nurses need basic soft skills to offer the best health outcomes for patients. These skills include:
Communication
As a nurse, you will not only speak with fellow nurses and doctors, but you will also educate and communicate with patients. Good communication starts with active listening. Take the time to listen to what the patient is saying to you before responding. Listen to what they say and look for non-verbal cues that help you better understand what a patient is saying. For example, understand the facial expressions accompanying words to better decipher what a patient needs.
A significant part of communication is intuition. Get in the habit of knowing what a patient will say, even before they say it. For example, a patient may have a grimace on their face when they move; that could be because of pain. Make sure to properly manage a patient’s pain and be proactive in helping them.
To trust your intuition, you must have confidence in yourself. A formal education in Vocational Nursing will build the confidence you need to offer good patient health outcomes. Plus, patients will be calmer when you look confident.
Attention to Detail
Making a medical error can be a life-or-death situation. Administering too much medication can cause an overdose, or mixing two drugs may cause harmful side effects. It is essential to have meticulous attention to detail to keep everyone safe. You will be tasked with many tasks, so you must be detail-oriented to succeed.
Critical Thinking
As a nurse, you must quickly assess situations and make educated decisions. This means you must analyze a patient’s condition and make the best decision based on the facts.
Adaptability
Flexibility is an essential soft skill for a nurse to master. Working in a hospital environment may be unpredictable, so you must be able to adjust your priorities and react to emergencies quickly and effectively.
Time Management
Nurses multi-task during shifts, treating patients, calling family members, and reporting to doctors and registered nurses. For this reason, it is essential to prioritize care because every minute counts.
Empathy
As a nurse, you must imagine yourself in a patient’s shoes. Being empathetic helps you better relate and respond to patients who are struggling. What are they feeling, what do they need, and how can you help? It would help to treat a patient the way you want to be treated, with respect and dignity.
What Hard Skills are Needed to be a Nurse?
Nurses need basic hard skills to offer the best health outcomes for patients. These skills include:
Nursing Fundamentals
An important hard skill you will need to be a successful nurse is a knowledge of nursing fundamentals. This knowledge includes patient assessment, vital sign assessment, care planning, and treatment assistance. In addition to this knowledge, you will need a firm understanding of medical terminology. Everything you do to manage patients is based on nursing fundamentals and medical terminology.
Emergency Care
Even if you don’t work in the ER, being on your toes during an emergency is essential. For example, you must be able to assess new hospital patients. Which patients need acute care, and which are having an emergency? Patient triage is a learned skill; you will get plenty of experience during your Vocational Nursing program.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
A nurse needs to be confident when administering CPR because when a patient’s heart stops, CPR can increase the chances of a patient’s survival multiple-fold. You will complete your CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications during the Licensed Vocational Nursing program. This will prepare you to administer life-saving support when a patient is in need.
Medication Management
Although nurses can’t prescribe medication, they often administer medication at the request of a physician. Pay attention to detail to fill the proper prescription, administer the medicine at the correct dosage, and monitor patients for side effects and contraindicators.
Infection Control
Proper infection control helps not only patients but also medical facility staff. Hospitals can be a breeding ground for infection, but adequate disinfection, sanitation, and sterilization techniques can help protect everyone from infections, diseases, and viruses.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what basic skills you need to be a nurse, it is time to learn about CyberTex. Our Vocational Nursing training program goes beyond basic theoretical instruction. Emphasizing hands-on learning, we designed this training course with the latest updates in the medical field. Plus, we offer the Vocational Nursing program at our Austin campus and are now accepting applications.
Licensed Vocational Nurse
Classes for the Vocational Nursing program are conducted in a student-friendly atmosphere conveniently located in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the Licensed Vocational Nursing program, students can apply to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), become a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), and start their exciting new career immediately.
Contact us today to learn more about our CyberTex Austin campus.