How Can Nurses Hone Their Skills To Stay Competitive In Their Jobs?

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How Can Nurses Hone Their Skills To Stay Competitive In Their Jobs?

Healthcare remains one of the most respected careers worldwide, with career growth options always available to newcomers. For example, the BLS expects the vocation of RNs to rise by 6% this decade, an indication of average growth. Statistics also reveal a massive shortage of experienced nurses in the United States today. This shortage, however, isn’t the only issue facing the health sector in the 2020s. There is also a noticeable skill gap harming the efficacy of modern-day nurses, and this problem makes it difficult for RNs to stay competitive in their jobs. So, how can RNs overcome this skill gap and become more competitive? Find some solutions in this article on nursing.

Ten tips for RNs

Over the years, healthcare professionals have developed several methods to help nurses become more competitive. For instance, the most effective way to stay competitive is to keep up with the latest advances in the medical field. Nurses should also invest considerable time and effort into honing their skills.

There are various methods for RNs to hone their skills and become more competitive in their jobs. Nurses should focus on honing their skills to survive in the competitive field of health. This article takes you through some ways to improve your capabilities and your job. A nurse should implement the suggestions mentioned here to advance professionally in this field and avoid becoming outdated. Here is how RNs must work on developing their medical expertise in 2022:

1.      Never stop learning

Continue your education with distance learning. It lets full-time health workers hone their understanding remotely. You can find numerous digital nursing courses in your state. For instance, Kentucky suffers from a shortage of 13,000+ RNs, as per the Workforce Survey Reports 2022. So, find some online nursing programs in Kentucky where you can obtain a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in a year. You can also pursue doctorate programs or earn FNP certificates to improve your skills.

2.      Attend medical seminars

Join some popular nursing organizations to learn about upcoming medical seminars. You can attend these seminars, meetings, and conferences to network with other industry members. Also, you may learn a lot about your field by listening to industry experts. Visit conferenceindex.org to learn about the nursing seminars happening in the United States. For instance, several conferences shall be held in New York on January 28. These seminars discuss many nursing subjects for your know-how.

Suppose you cannot travel to another city to attend these seminars. In that case, many nursing organizations are organizing webinars (web-based seminars). Nurses attend these online meetings virtually to learn all they must know to stay updated regarding nursing. Moreover, joining nursing organizations can help RNs remain updated about these conferences. Over 100 nursing organizations, such as the ANA and NLN. They can connect RNs with educational opportunities and academic resources.

3.      Read nursing magazines

There’s no shortage of nursing journals and magazines for newcomers to this profession. Find some quality reads online and subscribe to blogs where senior nurses share tidbits to help new RNs boost their skills. Some popular journals are Scrubs, American Nurse Today, and Journal of Clinical Nursing.

4.      Set Google alerts

Honing nursing skills should also involve “tech skills” because the health sector constantly relies on different technologies. Lacking these tech skills can seriously injure your nursing competency. So, honing these tech skills will directly improve your nursing expertise. For instance, you can set Google alerts about the nursing subjects in which you’ve attained a specialization. That’s how you can never miss out on some essential updates. Always stay updated by leveraging simple technologies.

5.      Use nursing apps

Another significant usage of technology is downloading some excellent nursing apps. These apps can help you improve your medical insight and help you do your job more effectively. Medscape can be a fine example as it shares valuable medical news with you. Use Epocrates to find the adverse effects of herbs and meds.

6.      Seek a mentor

Shadowing your seniors and learning from a mentor – these two activities can help you develop your hard skills effectively. You can “shadow” a senior nurse and learn a few secrets to being an excellent nurse. Also, a decent mentor can prevent you from making some career-destroying mistakes.

7.      Keep a journal

Journaling isn’t just a great hobby but also an excellent self-teaching method. You should record all the lessons you have learned today and study them to hone your medical acumen. Writing down the events of the day can make you a better health worker. You can either scribble your experiences in the form of a diary or type them on a computer. These daily lessons help you realize your faults and let you overcome them. Also, journaling prevents RNs from stress, PTSD, anxiety, and burnout.

8.      Gain more experience

Experience is the best teacher and can help you properly work on your hard skills. You gather crucial details from your experiences and find detailed insights as well. So, learn from your knowledge, as it’ll allow you to commit fewer mistakes and improve your efficiency. It makes you more innovative and promotes critical thinking. So, you can hone your “soft skills” and become better at communicating, solving problems, and resolving conflicts. Learn from your experience and implement its lesson.

9.      Listen to podcasts

Listening to many quality podcasts is an interesting method of honing your nursing know-how and improving your nursing skills. Podcasts have become popular recently, and you can find healthcare-related ones too. Search online to get familiar with some of the best nursing podcasts today.

10. Focus on self-care

Stress, burnout, and depression have remained widespread concerns among RNs, and these health issues resurfaced during the pandemic. Surveys show that one-third of nurses planned to quit at the end of 2022. Burnout seriously affects your ability to develop hard skills and excel at your job. The long-term effects of stress can also contribute to this burnout, impacting not only your professional performance but also your overall well-being. A nurse should focus on self-care and create a work-life balance. It means you should take breaks, rest properly, and eat nutritious meals. Don’t adopt a sedentary lifestyle, and adopt healthy pastimes.

Conclusion

Let’s reiterate how nurses can hone their skills to retain their competitiveness in the field. These simple methods involve education, networking, and studying extensively. First, you must get leverage distance learning programs to hone your learning. Subscribe to nursing magazines, use apps on your phone, and listen to podcasts on this subject. Set Google alerts to stay updated about what is happening in this field. Find shadowing and mentorship opportunities so you may learn from seniors. An ingenious method is to keep a journal for self-teaching. But the most crucial thing is experience; get more experience to hone your skills. That is how you can become better at taking care of your clients.