Nursing is a rewarding career that offers you the self-satisfaction of saving others’ lives. But this profession has a lot to offer to you too. While your days and night go by helping your patients, your profession provides you with many career development opportunities.
Anyone who is ambitious and wants to excel in their career will find nursing very irresistible because it is one of those professions where learning never stops. Formal degrees to get into this career are just a drop in the ocean of knowledge that this profession requires.
Fortunately, the reward of making efforts for career development is tangible too. A highly educated and skilled nurse can earn more, gets more respect and recognition, get a promotion, and have an opportunity to work in management.
With that said, some ways nurses can excel and upgrade their skills for better service provision are given below. These ways are tried, tested, and recommended by senior nurses and professionals.
1. Continue your education
One of the ways you can upgrade your skills is by getting into a new degree program. The benefit of getting a new degree is that you can update your skillset with new ones and improve the older ones. For instance, the use of technology in healthcare is on the rise. Getting into a new degree means you will polish your technical skills.
Higher education is also indispensable for nurses because they are engaged in a profession that requires them to keep their knowledge updated to provide better patient care.
Online education has made the process of getting a new degree in nursing extremely easy. You only need to have the passion to put in the effort. AGNP, FNP, CRNA, and many other remote specialty programs are offered these days. AGNP online programs focus on adult care and polish your skills in caring for adolescents and adults. At the same time, an FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) program prepares you to provide healthcare service to patients of all ages.
However, before you choose any degree program, ask your employer about the availability of seats for employment purposes and what kind of certification is required in the hospital. Not every hospital needs the same qualifications from their nurses. If it is AGNP, go for it; it is a high-paying career these days.
2. Find your niche
Most nurses come into this profession with a generic nursing degree. While this pathway is fine, and they can efficiently perform bedside care responsibilities, it does not make them stand out among other colleagues. Therefore, to truly excel in your career, you need to find the niche of your choice. You have to figure out what nursing area interests you most, get into it, and get the required skills.
When you choose a specific niche, all your knowledge and skills will only focus on this area, and you will become a master in your area of work.
When choosing a niche, you will never be short of choices. Of course, there is no need to be hasty in choosing your niche. Continue working as a generic nurse for a few years; once you are sure of your inclination, go ahead with your decision.
3. Don’t hesitate to interact
You might have heard language teachers say that if you want to speak fluently, start talking. It means you can only get a skill once you start practicing it. Communication skills are extremely important for nurses, whether verbal, non-verbal, or written. You will be required to talk to your coworkers, patients, families, and other staff in the hospital. More challenging is that you will communicate with patients from various ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds.
However, you cannot improve your communication skills without practicing them. Avoiding your coworkers, not presenting your points and ideas in front of others, and being shy about interacting with patients from a different ethnic group won’t help you polish your communication skills. Plus, it is detrimental to your career too.
Interact with your colleagues and communicate thoroughly about your patient’s conditions with the doctors. You may stutter, hesitate, and feel less confident, but your perseverance will get you through this difficult time. Also, highlight the areas where you lag the most. For instance, is it verbal skills or written ability?
If you are not particularly good at succinctly and precisely filling patient charts, practice it extensively and get help from older nurses. If you give them respect, they will be ready to help.
Conclusion
Upgrading your skills as a nurse takes time and is certainly not a linear process. Whether getting a new degree or making yourself the right fit to be a member of a professional organization, you will face many hurdles and difficulties. But one thing that can make your journey easier and upgrade your skills is your perseverance and dedication.