Five Things Smart Nurses Do

If you’re working as a nurse, you’ll know just how rewarding this profession can be. Despite all the challenges you face in the workplace every day, seeing your patients regain their health can make all the trouble you go through seem worth it.

While all healthcare careers allow you to positively impact patients, nurses work the closest with them and form stronger connections. Without nurses, it can be challenging for healthcare professionals like doctors to deliver treatment and ensure patients recover.

However, working as a nurse is by no means easy, and it can require more than theoretical knowledge to enjoy a prolific career. Nursing requires you to be quick, think on your feet, and act smart even when confronted with novel situations. Certain skills and tricks can help you make a mark in your nursing career. If you’re interested in learning more, keep reading below.

Keep updating yourself

A smart nurse’s most important asset is knowledge. The healthcare sector is vast, and it can be impossible to develop treatment plans for chronic diseases without innovation. Healthcare professionals thus need to keep themselves updated on the latest developments to provide patients with the best care possible. Nursing staff in particular needs to keep up with the latest developments to ensure patient satisfaction.

Higher education can give you a ton of vital information regarding nursing. It can allow you to use experiential knowledge, theoretical information, and technological and sociological information. A bachelor’s in nursing is thus a holistic program that can prepare you to provide your patients with the best care. You can also assume a leadership position and influence younger nurses with higher education. An RN to BSN degree can be easy to complete online, at a flexible schedule, and can be the best way to take your career to the next level.

Work on your communication skills

Much of a nurse’s work involves communicating with patients and other healthcare professionals, explaining patients’ conditions, and helping patients understand the treatment and the prognosis ahead. If you cannot communicate clearly and effectively with other people, you risk having patients lose faith in the treatment process.

When patients show up to healthcare facilities, they’re already experiencing a ton of health anxiety, and they may already have jumped to the worst possible conclusions. Without reassurance and information from your end, they’re likely to get even more paranoid and lose hope in the treatment.

As a smart nurse, you need to focus on communicating with clarity. You must ask your patients and their caregivers about whatever concerns and queries they may have. Similarly, you must share information as clearly and accurately as possible. Even though some patients can be difficult to handle and mistrustful, transparency can help them better understand their situation. So, communicate effectively.

Focus on your mental and physical well-being

Nursing is a challenging job, despite all the plus-sides it offers. If you aren’t careful, this job can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health and impair your performance. Nurse burnout is a common phenomenon, and smart nurses know that they need to deal with it promptly to work efficiently.

If you feel mentally and physically exhausted, taking a break from work may help. A short time away can help you gather your thoughts and return reenergized. Additionally, speaking to a therapist and disengaging from work while you’re at home can help you achieve a better work-life balance. Moreover, you can enhance your physical well-being by hitting the gym, eating clean, and walking or jogging to work to boost cardiovascular health. Nursing can be a pretty intensive job where you need to stay on your feet, so making these small changes can help you perform better.

Stay discrete

Discretion is easily one of the most crucial characteristics smart nurses must possess. Staying discrete regarding patient data is imperative if you want to have a successful career and a good reputation. Nursing staff often encounters patients at the lowest point of their lives, and they are privy to some incredibly personal details. Professionalism requires that nurses keep all the information they encounter and gather strictly to themselves.

While relevant details may need to be shared with other healthcare professionals or insurance companies, smart nurses need to stay discrete when it comes to sharing them with anyone else. This can even, at times, include family members. Moreover, you can’t share the information you get with any other healthcare professional who has nothing to do with the case or family or friends. Smart nurses also ensure that the information they gather, whether online or stored in person, is fully protected. Taking these steps can help your patients feel much more secure and can allow you to protect their best interests.

Manage time

Planning, prioritizing, and delegating are crucial to ensure success. Nurses have to handle various tasks each day, each one incredibly different. They have to juggle the needs of various patients simultaneously, and they need to use their judgment to ensure success. Some patients will require direr attention than others, and you need to make sure these patients get your full attention.

Moreover, nurses must work alongside other healthcare professionals to ensure everyone works seamlessly. As a smart nurse, you need to delegate tasks where necessary, supervise, and ensure everyone carries out the job well. You also need to have impeccable time management skills and remember when to administer medication and treatment.

Conclusion

When you’re working as a nurse, you’ll want to do your best to ensure your clients get the best care. Working smarter can help you get the best results without overexerting yourself. These are some of the best tips employed by smart nurses to help them thrive in the industry. These tips can help you handle even novel situations with ease and help you do right by your patients.