One of Enid Blyton’s quintessential school stories insightfully observes that nursing is a “vocation.” It is something you do for the sake of other people. If you have chosen nursing as your preferred career, you likely find delight in nurturing others back to health.
Modern nursing colleges equip students with all the essential knowledge they need for the job. For example, your course will teach you to diagnose an illness and administer medication.
However, in your college days, there are a few essential skills you should develop that go beyond regular classroom sessions. These skills will help you shape a more fulfilling career when you join a hospital or clinic.
#1 Interpersonal Communication
As a nurse, how you communicate with your team members, patients, and family members of the patients makes a tremendous difference. The hospital environment can be draining. Interacting with distressed people every day harms mental health.
Suitable interpersonal communication is vital for advocating a patient’s needs to their family. You must select the content of the message well, checking the tone and the sentiment. For example, using jargon will not help a husband feel reassured about their ailing wife. But updating him on how she felt in the morning will make a stunning difference. As will giving a timeline for full recovery.
As a nursing student, you should seek opportunities in college to improve your communication skills. For example, participating in group discussions can be a helpful exercise to learn workplace dynamics. You can join a debating or public speaking club even if you have online classes.
MedCity News highlights the benefits of VR simulations for clinical reasoning and resilience. It is an excellent way to learn in a simulated environment that feels high-pressure but is safe and allows mistakes.
If you have a VR headset, you can explore such simulations online. Aim to practice communication at junctures like admission, discharge, or deteriorating patient health.
#2 Dealing With a Crisis of Faith
When health problems strike, many of us become gloomy and distressed. For those with a religious mindset, serious health concerns can lead to a crisis of trust. As a nurse helping people get better, you should understand the role of faith in recovery. It needn’t involve your personal beliefs; what matters is being reassuring and thoughtful.
Feeling unanchored is more common in patients dealing with psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia. Dealing with them needs grounded care that doesn’t trigger agitation in people. Some tailored courses, like an online MSN-PMHNP, can equip you to deal with these conditions. As a psychiatric mental health nurse, you learn to advocate and intervene while keeping the patient’s faith intact.
Channeling faith into making constructive societal changes is a huge step ahead. For example, the healthcare needs of underserved populations often go unresolved. Spring Arbor University recommends that students develop compassion to advocate for society as a whole.
#3 Time Management 2.0
In America, many hospitals face the problem of understaffing. A 2024 report on the State of US Nursing noted that 63% of nurses are assigned to too many patients in parallel. Around 88% of the survey respondents feel this negatively affects a patient’s health.
In this situation, time management is essential. The sooner you learn it, the better. As a full-time nurse, you will have many tasks to complete every day. From taking rounds with doctors to checking your patients’ vitals, shifts can fly past. Unless you regulate your time well, you will be hard-pressed for a work-life balance.
You can improve your time management skills in college by building a daily schedule. Draw up to-do lists with achievable goals. Don’t forget to plan breaks and periods to attend cultural and social events. Finding a balance is essential in college as well!
Keeping to schedule can be challenging for students suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It makes it harder to prioritize tasks and be on time for classes and assignments.
VeryWell Mind recommends exploring new strategies like voice recorders, audiobooks, and mnemonics. You can also consider a music mix to stay focused. It will save you from getting sidetracked by other items on the schedule.
#4 Networking With Other Departments
Networking is a stressful word for introverted people. Nonetheless, it is a vital skill you should develop for a successful nursing career.
Modern healthcare has adopted a multidisciplinary approach. It requires professionals to interact with other departments to build holistic treatment plans. For instance, bipolar disorder can trigger a higher probability of cardiometabolic disease. As a nurse in a psychiatric ward, you may have to interact with cardiology for high-risk patients.
Networking skills will advance your nursing career and prepare you for managerial roles. These abilities include working in interdepartmental teams and conflict resolution. It is also crucial to be assertive and confident to make sure you are heard.
College is a fantastic place to strengthen your networking skills. You can attend inter-departmental meetups if your campus has many courses. If you take online classes, visit educational events to interact with industry professionals.
Selecting a nursing career is a fantastic way to extend compassion and care in a stressful world. While you are studying, take time to focus on all-round skills to give your best to the profession. The challenges you face in college will become training sessions for the real world.
