Communication is the most important part of being in the healthcare industry, especially when it comes to nurses. There are a lot of consequences of miscommunication and every doctor and nurse is made aware of that when they start their practice. It can lead to wrong diagnosis, patient dissatisfaction, and inconsistent treatment.
Here are some of the most important communication skills required by every nurse.
Table of Contents
The Most Essential Nursing Communication Skills
Clarity And Concision
When delivering responses to a patient’s inquiries or giving feedback, you should be able to frame your responses in a detailed, yet clear and succinct manner.
Unbiased
A nurse must have the capacity to be open-minded and appreciative of the patient’s decisions. They should be able to offer feedback without judgement, bias, or preconceptions.
Active Listening
As a nurse, your job entails not just giving but also receiving feedback. As a result, it’s critical to be able to actively listen to the patient’s concerns, as they could be crucial to the treatment plan.
Non-Verbal Communication
For effective communication, your eye contact, body language, gestures, and other nonverbal indicators are critical. As a result, being able to manage your body while engaging with your patients is critical.
If you are lacking in any one of these indicators of excellent communication, it is important that you try to improve upon it. Following, you can find ways through which you can excel in nursing communication.
How To Improve Your Nursing Communication Skills?
Practice Active Listening
As discussed, it is highly crucial that you improve upon your listening skills along with the way you communicate.
In professional nursing communication contexts, we have listed down a few techniques to practice active listening:
- Pay attention. Shield yourself from distractions by looking squarely at the speaker. However, consider your patient’s cultural background before gazing at them in the eyes, as this may be deemed unacceptable in some cultures.
- Use nonverbal cues. Show that you’re interested in what’s being said by smiling and nodding. Try using small verbal signs as well to show that you are following what the speaker is saying.
- Provide feedback. You can paraphrase what the speaker is saying, ask questions to clarify their arguments, and summarize what they are saying after each point to ensure that you understand them accurately.
Keep in mind that any kind of judgement should not interfere with the conversation’s flow or make it counterproductive.
Exercise Situational Awareness
Situational awareness refers to your ability to recognize specific aspects and events in your environment in relation to time, setting, and the context of the scenario.
You can add the following exercises into your everyday routine to practice situational awareness:
- Exercise by observing the environment first and then applying all the small elements you took note of in the situation in front of you. After this, you will easily find yourself making a decision and taking immediate action. Through this exercise, you can learn ways to make decisions after thorough thought and take action more consistently in crisis situations.
- Exercise your peripheral vision. Being aware of your environment is an important component of being a successful communicator. Peripheral vision training might help you enhance situational awareness and attention to detail.
Both can help you effectively recognize each patient’s needs, which will ultimately make the treatment process a success and improve patient satisfaction.
Take Part In Volunteering Programs
Volunteering programs can help you improve your communication skills if you’re just starting out in your profession.
Often, you will be assigned a mentor during the program. They will teach you both oral and writing communication skills. It can also help you expand your network and make connections that can help you land a job.
With these tips, there is no reason why you can’t be the best nurse out there who also has amazing communication skills. So, if you are looking to enrol yourself in a nursing program, get in touch with a Nursing Scholar. We have a bunch of courses listed on our website offered all around Pakistan for your convenience. You can easily choose one best suited for you and get started on your nursing degree.