If you are currently working in the field of nursing, then congratulations and well done! To say that nursing can be a challenging and difficult job is an understatement. This is because the job is usually one that is extremely fast-paced but also physically and mentally demanding. However, it is important to note that despite the challenges involved in being a nurse, the profession is one that is also extremely rewarding. After all, the role of a nurse is to spend their day helping, supporting, and providing care to those who need it. If you are a practicing nurse or are aspiring to become one, this article could be of great use to you. So, continue to read on in order to learn about how you can become a better nurse!
Have an open mind – be receptive to learning
One of the best things that you can do for yourself as a nurse is to be open to learning. After all, as humans, we are imperfect and do not have all the knowledge. There is always room for learning and room for growth. So, no matter your level of experience, you should be open to learning new things. Regardless of whether you are a newly qualified or experienced nurse, there is always something that you can learn from another person. Importantly, it may shock or surprise you to learn about who you can learn from. While you may typically associate learning as being something that is done when you are interacting with someone who is superior or more experienced than you, this is not always necessarily or strictly the case.
It may surprise you to find out that you can learn from those who are much less experienced than you. That is why it is important to keep an open mind when talking, interacting, and engaging with everyone around you. Who knows: you may even learn from your patients or someone walking in the street! Knowledge can be found anywhere, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and ears open for any new-found knowledge that may find its way to you.
If you want to advance your nursing career prospects and learn more deeply about nursing, it is advised that you study for a DNP AGACNP. By doing so, you will gain more knowledge about nursing and widen your skillset. Many employers will certainly be impressed by the fact that you have received this qualification and it will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd. So, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to get your Doctor of Nursing practice certificate!
Be more compassionate
If you are not already a compassionate person, then you seriously need to make the changes to ensure that you are, especially if you are planning to become a nurse or already are a nurse? Why? Because compassion is an essential trait of a nurse. Being a nurse is not solely or exclusively about providing physical care for your patients; it is about providing emotional care too.
It is all well and good to be there physically for your patient, whether that be helping and assisting them with walking, helping them take their medication, or helping them bath themselves. These are all tasks that you may have to carry out as a nurse (depending on your specific specialization). However, being a nurse is about doing and being more than just a physical support system. To become a good nurse and improve, you need to be able to exhibit genuine compassion for your patients. That means that you truly have to care about their health and well-being. If you are unable to do this, it is likely that you will make mistakes elsewhere and you will impede your potential to become the best possible nurse that you can be.
If someone is taking care of you, you would want them to be compassionate, to not only help you physically, but to emotionally support you too. So, why not be that person for somebody else? As the saying goes, treat others how you would like to be treated. So, if you would want to be treated with compassion, it is important that you do that for your patients too. Importantly, if you are compassionate, it is more likely that your patients will be comfortable with you. This is a great benefit, as greater and stronger nurse-to-patient relationships are not only better for you, but for the patient too. So, it is a win-win situation.
Get further training
Another great way to improve as a nurse is to get more training. After all, nursing is a very practical and hands-on job. So, if you want to get better at it, one good way to do so is to get more training. If you feel like there is a certain area of your job or task that you want to get better at, be sure to raise this with your superiors, as they may be able to offer you some support and guidance.
Once you have brought it up with your superior, be sure to get more practice. For instance, if you feel like you are not great at giving patient care, then you must practice patient care as much as possible. Although it is often difficult to push ourselves out of our comfort zones, it is there that we grow and develop. How will you ever get better if you do not practice? How will you ever get better if you do not try? The answer is simple: you will not.
Identify your weaknesses
So, one of the first things that you should do if you want to become a better nurse is to identify your weaknesses.
How will you improve if you do not know where you are going wrong? If you cannot identify any weaknesses yourself, then you may want to get a second or third opinion (from your peers or superiors) to help you identify areas of improvement.