The fundamental skills nurses need to succeed in their practice is a balanced combination of hard skills and soft skills i.e., knowledge and compassion. These skill sets are critical to not only being a successful nurse but also to creating a positive atmosphere for patients and others.

What does it take to become a nurse?

Nursing requires a special type of person. Nurses are expected to be experts when it comes to their clinical skills, however, training and knowledge (hard skills) are not the only important skills to have. Becoming a nurse requires certain personality traits (soft skills), that can't necessarily be taught, but developed through experience in life and in practice.

Fundamental hard skills for nurses

Employers review resumes determining whether a candidate is qualified to perform the essential duties of the particular job or nursing position they are applying for.

Here are 5 fundamental hard skills a nurses must have:

1. Education 

• Nurses need to have proof of their education and training as they need to be able to assist with emergencies, monitoring, and most importantly, ensure patient safety. 

2. Patient Safety and Patient and Family Education 

• To maximize recovery, nurses have to ensure patients are safe by not only monitoring them physically but by educating patients and their families and creating a safe environment. 

3. Emergency Care and Monitoring Vital Signs 

• Nursing professionals, even those who don't work in the emergency room (ER), may require basic urgent care and emergency care skills. 

• Monitoring vital skills is one of the basic responsibilities of any nurse. These vital signs indicate how the patient is doing and determine what protocols need to be followed. Monitoring vital signs include: checking a patient’s heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and temperature. 

4. Technology skills 

• In this day and age, most hospitals use machines and state-of-the-art technology when it comes to treating and monitoring patients. It is vital that nurses know how to operate these machines to report on patient well-being and allow a successful recovery. Nurses also need to keep these technology skills up to date as it improves rapidly. 

5. Other Hard Skills include: Patient Care, Infection Control, Catheterization, etc.

FUNDAMENTAL SOFT SKILLS FOR NURSES 

Nowadays some employers take a more in-depth look at the soft skills that nurses have. These skills are obtained through on-the-job experience and allow for a positive atmosphere for patients and others.

Here are 4 fundamental soft skills a nurse must have:

1. Stamina 

• Nurses work long hours in high-pressure situations and therefore stamina is of utmost importance. 

• Alongside stamina goes time management. Managing time efficiently allows nurses to have more control over their days of working long hours (days and nights) which goes hand in hand with obtaining stamina throughout their career. 

2. Communication 

• Patients spent more time with their nurses than their families or doctors when they are in hospital. Having exquisite verbal and non-verbal communication skills is vital for nurses. A nurse must be able to actively listen, observe, and speak to doctors, medical staff, patients, and their families.  

3. Teamwork and dependability: Solving problems and critical thinking 

• Nurses work in dynamic environments and with a variety of teams, including doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, as shifts change. To be able to function well in different teams, a nurse must be dependable at all times, for anyone on the team to be able to rely on them. 

• Being dependable enables nurses to implement critical thinking and problem-solving in any complex situations throughout the workplace 

4. Ethics 

• There are strict ethical codes nurses must be able to follow to ensure patient confidentiality. Strict ethical codes will assist nurses in always remaining professional. 

5. Other Soft Skills include: Compassion, Empathy, Emotional Support, and Adaptability.

Got what it takes to become a nurse? Join our leading specialists nursing recruitment agency. Register with us today or send us a WhatsApp for more information or assistance with registration.