Tips for Becoming a Better Nurse

Being a nurse is a great career because you’re part of a growing profession in the

medical field, and you also get to see your efforts have a tangible, positive effect

on your patients every day. The thing about this is that many other career-minded

people are taking note of these benefits for themselves. As a result, you may want

to think about what you can do to improve yourself as a nurse. This will not only

improves your career prospects, it may also help you appeal to a higher tier of

employers, which could mean more money and more potential opportunities. Of course,

we can’t ignore the fact all of these areas also help you take better care of your

patients.

Cultural Awareness: This one may strike you as an odd thing to mention, but empathy

has always been considered an important skill in the nursing profession, and this is

an extension of that. Depending on cultural (and religious) beliefs, different

patients may have different views on things like health, care, treatment, death, and

many other things that are a daily part of the medical world. Your plans and

delivery for nursing care may hinge on these when it comes to keeping your patients

comfortable. A good way to start here is to take note of your own possible biases

and work on those, then start learning more about different cultures and how their

viewpoints may impact your care.

Learn To Teach: Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean going back to school.

However, part of being a good nurse is not only being able to take good care of a

patient, but also being able to communicate with them when it comes to taking better

care of themselves. Debbie Hensley, BSN, RN, CURN, practices at University of Texas

Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, and was also a former president of the Society

of Urologic Nurses and Associates. She believes that if you want to teach

effectively, it starts with knowing your patients.

“Before you begin teaching, you need to understand the patient’s culture and

background and to assess their level of learning,” she explains. “You look at each

patient as an individual and talk with them about their background. Through

conversation, you should work to get a sense of their level of understanding. Ask,

‘So tell me what your thoughts are on this?’ ‘Do you think this is something you

will be able to continue to do?’”

Get Certified: Another thing worth considering is trying to minimize the amount of

time that you spend on professional development—without compromising on the quality.

This means that you can still advance in your career without worrying about your

work-life balance, something that’s becoming more and more of a premium. For

example, instead of getting your recertification done in a classroom setting, you

may want to go online with ProMed Certifications. We offer ACLS, PALS, BLS and CPR

training that can re-up your certification in a matter of hours. This lets you focus

on other ways you can improve as a nurse.