In the medical field, doctors' and nurses' interpersonal interactions with their patients are a vital component of successful treatment. While these professionals primarily diagnose and treat illnesses, treatment often needs more than what scientific knowledge can provide.
What happens when a patient becomes emotionally volatile
after a diagnosis? When and how is it appropriate to provide families with hope
in the face of a potentially fatal disease? How can healthcare professionals
transition from treating a patient who has lost their life to a patient who
needs emotional support to process their condition?
In addition to providing appropriate medical treatments,
nurses also need to consider their personal interactions with patients.
Professionals must remain compassionate without sacrificing their emotional
well-being by developing soft skills in nursing.
Developing crucial soft skills can allow nurses to grow professionally and personally in fast-paced and stress-inducing medical settings.
1. Communication
Nurses must ask questions respectfully and carefully listen
to patient responses to obtain accurate assessment data. This is extremely
important since another healthcare staff relies on the information nurses
collect. Nurses must convey treatment and recovery plans clearly and
effectively to their patients.
The best communicators employ sincerity, kindness, and
confidentiality. Nurses who communicate effectively can signal empathy to
patients and their families to improve care.
2. Critical Thinking
Nurses make crucial decisions that can save lives. When
considering patient care, nurses must approach problems with clarity, logic,
and precision.
Critical thinking includes interpreting information or
events, analyzing data, and evaluating outcomes. This skill also requires
self-regulation, where nurses check their thought processes for assumptions or
bias.
3. Compassion
In unfamiliar, emotionally stressful environments like
hospitals, patients can become overwhelmed. They might experience intense
anxiety over a pending diagnosis, frustration that their recovery is not going
smoothly, or anger over unmet needs.
Approaching patients compassionately is crucial. Providing
sympathetic care for vulnerable patients can help them feel safer and happier,
reducing stress for nurses.
4. Professionalism
Employers value staff who perform their jobs with
professionalism. Remaining professional fosters trust and instills confidence
in patients. In addition, maintaining professional relationships with patients
can prevent nurses from becoming too involved, reducing emotional burnout.
Professionalism also includes maintaining necessary credentials
and keeping up to date through continuing education and professional
development opportunities.
5. Teamwork
Beyond patient interactions, nurses also need to work well
with others on their care team, including doctors and other nurses.
Interdisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals positively affect patient
outcomes and safety.
Nurses must communicate with team members, understand
workplace culture, resolve conflicts, and accept team decisions. Other
attributes of successful team members include honesty, discipline, creativity,
humility, and curiosity.
Members of well-functioning teams report enhanced job
satisfaction and well-being. Nurses who contribute to positive team
environments perform their work more efficiently and avoid burnout.
6. Accountability
In the medical field, workers must accept responsibility for
their actions — especially leaders. These professionals remain accountable for
their actions, along with their team's work. Accountability is critical to
identifying shortcomings and creating plans for improvement.
7. Stress Management
Working in a fast-paced environment with high stakes means
nurses must learn to effectively manage stress. According to the Mayo
Clinic, stress can lead to irritability, lack of focus, and feeling overwhelmed.
The effects of stress can put patients at risk. Nurses must
handle their workload and maintain focus while on the job. In doing so, they
reduce the likelihood of critical mistakes occurring.
To effectively manage stress, nurses should set aside
personal time to distance themselves from their stressful work environments.
Using this personal time to exercise, listen to music, and meditate or practice
yoga can help diminish stress and provide a calming effect.
Organizing tasks and setting realistic daily goals can also
help limit work-related pressures. Nurses should turn down additional
responsibilities that may exacerbate their stress.
8. Critical Observation
Attention to detail can yield massive benefits for nurses,
as critical observation might mean they catch an overlooked detail or discover
a more efficient course of action.
By analyzing information and determining an appropriate
course of action, nurses can provide unique solutions to problems.
9. Self-Development
Nurses who want to grow within their profession should seek
continuous improvement through additional training and education opportunities.
Nurses can pursue advanced degrees or specializations to
develop academically and professionally. Developing new abilities allows nurses
to provide better care for their patients and advance into leadership roles.
10. Resilience
In a profession where decisions can have life or death
consequences, workers in the medical community must develop considerable
resilience.
Resilient nurses can cope with setbacks and keep challenging
situations from affecting patient care. Nurses must learn to adapt to
ever-changing professional environments and continually monitor their own
mental state.
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What's the Difference Between Hard and Soft Skills?
Hard skills typically pertain to specific areas of study and
apply to professional work after graduation. Soft skills are more universal and
social in nature, and allow individuals to collaborate with different types of
people and provide guidance. Developing soft skills in nursing enhances
creativity, resilience, and adaptability while fostering emotional and social
intelligence.
Combining hard and soft skills allows professionals to
thrive. With hard skills, nurses are equipped with the medical knowledge to
provide quality healthcare to their patients. With soft skills, nurses are
better able to navigate their work environment and collaborate with others.
Hard Skills
- Measurable
and quantifiable
- Can be
taught through formal education or training
- Evidence
of hard skills is tangible through certifications, degrees, or work
- Specific
to a particular job/career
- Examples
include data analysis, technical writing, web development
Soft Skills
- Abstract
and difficult to measure
- Emphasis
on interpersonal skills
- Successful
demonstration of soft skills is more subjective
- Universal
and developed through personal experience
- Examples
include teamwork, adaptability, leadership, critical thinking,
collaboration
Why Are Soft Skills Important in Nursing?
Nurses must apply their soft skills to complement the
technical aspects of the job. To aid their patients, nurses must recognize cues
to better understand their patient's needs. When treating a patient, their
physical health is only part of the equation. By recognizing verbal and
nonverbal responses, nurses can identify physical ailments and unseen emotional
challenges.
Soft skills also help nurses work with other medical
professionals. The ability to function as a team, communicate effectively, and
accept/provide constructive criticism gives teams a better chance to deliver
quality care.
Soft skills also include a nurse's ability to adapt. In
learning to work in stressful conditions and maintain their resilience, nurses
improve their own outcomes for higher job satisfaction and professional
success.
Developing Soft Skills for Nursing
While nurses enter the field with the necessary medical
information to deliver care, these professionals commonly develop soft skills
for nursing overtime. Continued experience and self-reflection, along with the
ability to accept constructive feedback, allow nurses to hone these abilities.
Nurses who combine educational and technical skills with excellent emotional and social abilities are better able to provide exemplary care.
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