Being a nurse requires a significant amount of commitment. The hours are long, it can be emotionally taxing, and you may face some trying situations. But it’s also incredibly lucrative, allowing you to advance into various potential specialties. Several institutions offer nursing degrees if you’re still unsure which one is best for you. For example, you can apply to the University of Texas – Arlington, which offers BSN, MSN, and DNP programs. Now it is entirely up to you to choose the curriculum that best suits your goals.
Here are ten essential core skills you can learn in nursing school to pursue a career in this changing and in-demand sector.
Table of Contents
Confident And Passionate
No matter how many school exams you’ve aced, you must be confident that the information you have acquired in nursing school has prepared you for this role. It’s about a motivated, independent, influential personality, passion for what you do, and emotional maturity that enables you to perform at a high level.
Making Connections
Now that the exams are over, it’s time to apply what you’ve learned in real-life situations. You will be successful and better able to help patients if you maintain a comprehensive grasp of the course material and can draw on that knowledge to make choices and ask appropriate questions.
Critical Thinking
Becoming a competent nurse depends on your ability to observe, think critically and make judgments. For example, you may be good at administering an IV or treating a wound, but if you can’t work quickly under pressure, it will be difficult for you to succeed as a nurse.
Relation-Based Care Skill
Relationship-based care skills improve safety, patient and staff enjoyment, and work quality. In addition, the skill builds motivation and, in turn, the organization’s reputation as an excellent healthcare facility.
Leadership Ability
You will spend your entire working day in a leadership role as a nurse, with patients and their families turning to you for information and guidance. Therefore, you will need excellent time management skills, be self-aware, and be able to handle projects, disagreements, and emergencies.
Constant Learning
To excel in your nursing profession, you must keep studying, practicing, and moving forward. There is always more to learn, and few fields evolve faster than medicine and patient care.
Vision
Life can be at risk without the ability to adapt to changing situations and think quickly. Therefore, successful nurses must have excellent critical thinking skills with a strong foundation of concepts and theories to perform excellently under pressure and help their patients.
Work Effectively
In hospitals or other places where you work, new nurses will expect to communicate well with colleagues right away. Staying calm, respecting others, and being flexible are basic skills that cannot be learned through textbooks or studying.
Different Perspectives
It is easy to become emotionally invested in a patient’s distress or strong beliefs about a diagnostic or surgical strategy. Instead, accept criticism and even confrontation while maintaining an open mind to other approaches.
Supporting Patients
As a nurse, you must speak up for the patients you help. You will often have the most interaction with patients and explain tests, treatments, and instructions to other team members or patients and their families. It’s okay if you’re not an expert at all of them. Most of them are products of experience and time. However, you will be an invaluable asset if you have a solid foundation in these skills.
