Nurse practitioners (NPs) are highly skilled healthcare workers who are trained in patient assessments, diagnosis and prescribing. They can also design courses of treatment and offer testing where appropriate. To provide optimal care, NPs need to cultivate a range of hard and soft skills, many of which they will continue to develop after they graduate. From medical competencies to communication and mastery of IT, various aptitudes can always be improved upon.
NPs are licensed nurses who have trained to work in the profession and have then taken further certifications to move into a more senior position. They work in many different locations, from schools to physician’s offices and hospitals. NPs can also choose to specialize in a field such as general family practice, mental health or pediatrics, but this will depend on the academic route they take. In previous years, qualifying for a more responsible role was not always possible for working nurses, who often had little spare time, but now, universities such as Texas Woman’s University have devised online programs that simplify the process.
Nurses who have thought about moving up the career ladder and wondered about the salary of a nurse practitioner in Texas can find out more and qualify remotely on the Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program at Texas Woman’s University. This online course has been designed for BSN-level nurses who want to work in advanced practice. It takes two years to complete, and students are supported with finding a local clinical placement.
How can NPs improve their clinical proficiencies?
Nurses often have busy shifts during which they feel tired. However, to remain on top of their game and maintain the highest standard of clinical proficiencies, NPs never cut corners. They stay with a patient until they are satisfied that the assessment has been thorough. They always change their gloves and will either clean the equipment themselves or arrange for it to be cleaned. This ensures that patient care is prioritized and can also prevent a range of adverse medical events, such as the transfer of infections, unexpected allergic reactions, and medication issues that arise from human error. By following protocols, observing safety measures, and always taking important medical steps in sequence, NPs can safeguard their license and improve their skills.
The same is true for checking their work. Regardless of whether they graduated two weeks or two years ago, an NP will always double-check their decisions and note-taking. This includes looking at the charting that has been completed during a shift and ensuring that any relevant actions have been noted, such as the procedures, the tests and the medication provided to individual patients.
Interactions with the patient should also be recorded as accurately as possible to ensure that no important information is neglected. Rechecking work is extremely important in administering medication, so an NP will find out whether the dosage, drug, patient and route are all correct before giving a medication. Experienced NPs don’t make a lot of mistakes, but by getting into the habit of double-checking their work, they can keep their patients safe, even if they are having an off day.
Why do NPs need excellent care abilities?
Patient-centered care involves health professionals focusing on the needs of individuals rather than seeing them as a collection of symptoms. NPs consider a person’s preferences, the values they live by, and the needs they have when making a clinical decision or providing care. This ensures that the patient feels that the team around them is responsive to their needs and, as a result, they feel respected. It’s often the case that during a busy day, NPs and other practitioners can become overly concerned with completing their tasks, and this can lead to them losing touch with patients. Even though patient care was often the reason why NPs got into the profession in the first place, this can sometimes be put to one side while they complete their additional duties.
Patient care is about more than the diagnosis
Patient-centered care is about collaboration. Regardless of the technology used to treat them and the skills of the team, patients will often have very similar expectations. They want to recover, have their needs met, feel respected, and receive an excellent standard of care. NPs can refine their patient-centered care in many basic ways. They can start by remembering to connect with people, giving patients their complete attention during each interaction, and always doing the best for them.
This starts with the little things, such as remaining in the moment. When NPs are at a person’s bedside, they are not thinking of the next patient. Instead, they are fully in that moment. They use the patient’s name, take the time for a chat, and explain what is going to happen next concerning the person’s care plan. Keeping eye contact might not seem significant, but it helps to build and establish a connection. Moreover, it conveys a sense of empathy, which can be nurtured by asking patients if they need anything or would like anything done for them. Outside of the bay or the ward, the NP may have numerous other responsibilities, but concentrating on patients one at a time is a crucial skill.
Why are leadership skills key to an NP?
As NPs grow in confidence and experience, their skills are needed throughout the US healthcare system in leadership roles. Along with safeguarding patient safety, they will mentor and assist the next generation of nurses as they move through the ranks. In an environment that is often very fast-paced, NPs offer guidance and stability to others.
A key leadership skill is communication in terms of both written and spoken interactions. From educating families to taking time with patients and supporting colleagues, NPs can create a positive culture within their department by using these competencies. This can also help them introduce changes, manage organizational change, and banish feelings of uncertainty among the team. When things do go wrong, conflict resolution skills can help an NP tackle difficult situations and clashing personalities with sensitivity. They will use these skills to act as mediators between different individuals and teams, bringing people together over what unites them and simultaneously delivering excellence in care.
The ability to bring different people together is in part routed in emotional intelligence. This gives NPs an awareness of other people’s feelings and empathy toward their point of view. Using this information, they can communicate more effectively with a range of individuals at all levels of seniority and build effective nursing units.
Why do NPs need confidence in healthcare technology?
Although not all NPs will feel capable when it comes to technology in healthcare, it is here to stay and has the potential to be a great ally. Even just a few years back, nurses were writing up their patients’ notes in pen on pieces of paper, but now electronic health records have changed all that. The same is true for smart beds that help nursing teams monitor patient safety and automated IV pumps that administer treatments accurately so that nurses can get on with other tasks.
Tech is embedded in today’s healthcare system, and as it evolves, NPs have to be ready not just to accept it but also to embrace it and play a part in rolling out innovations. It’s all part of professional development and the fact that nurses never stop learning when it comes to their job. Developments, not just in IT but also in many treatments, as well as changes and improvements to care practices, are happening every day in healthcare. Moreover, new information and studies are released regularly.
The importance of professional development for NPs
The best NPs will keep themselves informed and will integrate more efficient or effective ways of working into their practice. Telehealth is another example of a change in practice that gives NPs something additional to learn but ultimately benefits patients and expands the professional’s scope of practice.
Clinical advancements and additional learning help NPs keep their skills updated, and these opportunities are widely available. Nursing conferences, professional organizations and medical journals are all accessible forms of self-improvement. However, NPs can also work on expanding their network and take further certifications to become better at what they do and stay ahead in their field.
How can cultural competence improve an NP’s skillset?
The US is an incredibly diverse nation, but this is not always reflected in the healthcare teams who staff hospitals and clinics. However, for healthcare outcomes to be optimized, patients should be able to see themselves and their culture reflected in the nurses and physicians who treat them. Diversity improves patient outcomes in various ways, but one of the key factors in this area is cultural competence, which can be practiced by any health professional. Cultural awareness makes communication more effective between a caregiver and their patient. It decreases any barriers to the provision of care and makes people from diverse backgrounds feel more comfortable in a hospital.
In the broadest sense, cultural competence is a skill that involves acknowledging difference, understanding what it implies, and recognizing what it means for an individual. Once an NP is familiar with this practice, they can show compassion and respect to people from different socioeconomic, racial, cultural or religious backgrounds. It can take time to master this skill, as some nurses will have to unlearn ideas that they had previously held. However, the rewards of overcoming a cultural divide and improving patient outcomes as a result make it worthwhile.
Self-reflection is important for developing cultural competence
The first step for NPs is gaining a genuine awareness of and completing some self-reflection on their personal cultural beliefs. This will involve thinking about how their own beliefs impact their attitude to providing care. Gaining knowledge of other cultures is also useful, especially those that are prevalent in the local population. Attending workshops and speaking to community groups can be a good place to start. As NPs interact with more people from different cultures and deepen their knowledge, they will become better at delivering competent care, and this will improve their practice in various ways.
Primarily, it allows them to identify and then overcome communication barriers. People who do not speak the same language as their healthcare team can struggle to understand what is being said, to accept treatment, and to recognize their own health needs. Naturally, it can result in serious repercussions. Culturally competent NPs can ask follow-up questions to ensure that their patients understand, call in an interpreter or a colleague who can speak the patient’s language, and also be aware of nonverbal clues.
Additionally, NPs with a good understanding of the people in their care and the cultures they are part of do not stereotype patients. They resist making generalizations about the way that people behave and why they may have become ill. Instead, they treat everyone on the ward as a unique, valued individual.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to continued professional development in every area of healthcare. For NPs, refining their skills allows them to improve their work and move into a more independent role if that’s where their ambition takes them. They could choose to open their own practice and build up a base of patients so that they can work for themselves rather than a larger organization. Furthermore, additional skills can lead to higher pay, as the NP can administer a wider range of procedures on the ward, and they require less supervision. Finally, once they have gained the necessary skills, NPs can move into leadership roles and manage other healthcare workers.
So, aside from delivering a higher standard of patient care, the most proficient NPs can expect better pay, access to the top posts, and more independence in their career.
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