2 answers
jajuanae
Student
3
Questions
Updated
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What are some new skills employees learn as a new Registered Nurse coming on the job?
What are some new skills employees learn as a new Registered Nurse coming on the job?
2 answers
Rashmi Nidhi
Consultant
20
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Rashmi’s Answer
As a new Registered Nurse (RN) entering the job, there are several new skills and competencies you'll typically acquire through on-the-job training and experience. These skills are in addition to the foundational nursing knowledge and clinical skills you've gained through your education and training. Some of the skills you'll learn as a new RN include:
Clinical Skills: You'll build on the clinical skills acquired in nursing school and further develop your proficiency in tasks such as medication administration, wound care, intravenous (IV) therapy, and patient assessment.
Critical Thinking: As a new RN, you'll sharpen your critical thinking skills to quickly assess and respond to changes in a patient's condition, make decisions about care, and prioritize tasks.
Patient Assessment: You'll learn to perform comprehensive patient assessments, including physical examinations, reviewing medical histories, and identifying abnormal findings.
Team Collaboration: Collaboration with healthcare professionals like doctors, nurse practitioners, and other nurses is crucial. You'll learn to communicate effectively and work as part of a healthcare team.
Patient and Family Communication: Developing strong communication skills with patients and their families is vital for providing emotional support, explaining treatment plans, and addressing questions or concerns.
Documentation: Accurate and detailed record-keeping is essential in nursing. You'll learn to document patient information, interventions, and responses accurately and in compliance with healthcare regulations.
Medication Management: You'll gain experience in administering medications, including understanding drug interactions, side effects, and proper documentation.
Patient Education: Teaching patients about their conditions, medications, and self-care is an important aspect of nursing. You'll develop skills in patient education and health promotion.
Infection Control: Proper hand hygiene, isolation precautions, and infection prevention techniques are critical skills for maintaining patient safety.
Use of Technology: You'll become proficient in using electronic health records (EHRs) and other healthcare technologies for documentation, order entry, and communication.
Emergency Response: You'll be trained to respond to emergencies and perform life-saving interventions, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic life support (BLS).
Cultural Competency: Learning to provide care that respects the cultural beliefs and values of diverse patient populations is an important skill for providing patient-centered care.
Time Management: Balancing multiple patient needs, tasks, and responsibilities while managing your time efficiently is crucial for success in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
Legal and Ethical Considerations: Understanding the legal and ethical aspects of healthcare, including patient confidentiality and informed consent, is essential.
Pain Management: You'll develop skills in assessing and managing pain in patients, including the use of pain scales and various pain management techniques.
Stress Management: Nursing can be emotionally and physically demanding. You'll learn techniques to manage stress and maintain your well-being.
Conflict Resolution: Handling conflicts and challenging situations with patients, families, or colleagues is a valuable skill to develop.
Quality Improvement: You'll become familiar with quality improvement initiatives and practices to enhance patient care and safety.
Evidence-Based Practice: Learning to incorporate the latest evidence-based research into your nursing practice is crucial for providing the best care possible.
Adaptability: The healthcare field is dynamic, and you'll need to adapt to changes in healthcare policies, procedures, and technologies.
Clinical Skills: You'll build on the clinical skills acquired in nursing school and further develop your proficiency in tasks such as medication administration, wound care, intravenous (IV) therapy, and patient assessment.
Critical Thinking: As a new RN, you'll sharpen your critical thinking skills to quickly assess and respond to changes in a patient's condition, make decisions about care, and prioritize tasks.
Patient Assessment: You'll learn to perform comprehensive patient assessments, including physical examinations, reviewing medical histories, and identifying abnormal findings.
Team Collaboration: Collaboration with healthcare professionals like doctors, nurse practitioners, and other nurses is crucial. You'll learn to communicate effectively and work as part of a healthcare team.
Patient and Family Communication: Developing strong communication skills with patients and their families is vital for providing emotional support, explaining treatment plans, and addressing questions or concerns.
Documentation: Accurate and detailed record-keeping is essential in nursing. You'll learn to document patient information, interventions, and responses accurately and in compliance with healthcare regulations.
Medication Management: You'll gain experience in administering medications, including understanding drug interactions, side effects, and proper documentation.
Patient Education: Teaching patients about their conditions, medications, and self-care is an important aspect of nursing. You'll develop skills in patient education and health promotion.
Infection Control: Proper hand hygiene, isolation precautions, and infection prevention techniques are critical skills for maintaining patient safety.
Use of Technology: You'll become proficient in using electronic health records (EHRs) and other healthcare technologies for documentation, order entry, and communication.
Emergency Response: You'll be trained to respond to emergencies and perform life-saving interventions, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic life support (BLS).
Cultural Competency: Learning to provide care that respects the cultural beliefs and values of diverse patient populations is an important skill for providing patient-centered care.
Time Management: Balancing multiple patient needs, tasks, and responsibilities while managing your time efficiently is crucial for success in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
Legal and Ethical Considerations: Understanding the legal and ethical aspects of healthcare, including patient confidentiality and informed consent, is essential.
Pain Management: You'll develop skills in assessing and managing pain in patients, including the use of pain scales and various pain management techniques.
Stress Management: Nursing can be emotionally and physically demanding. You'll learn techniques to manage stress and maintain your well-being.
Conflict Resolution: Handling conflicts and challenging situations with patients, families, or colleagues is a valuable skill to develop.
Quality Improvement: You'll become familiar with quality improvement initiatives and practices to enhance patient care and safety.
Evidence-Based Practice: Learning to incorporate the latest evidence-based research into your nursing practice is crucial for providing the best care possible.
Adaptability: The healthcare field is dynamic, and you'll need to adapt to changes in healthcare policies, procedures, and technologies.
Sandra Elanges, DNP, FNP-BC
Public Health Nurse
1
Answer
Troy, Michigan
Updated
Sandra’s Answer
As a new registered nurse (RN), you will want to hone your interviewing skills. Remember, you're interviewing your potential employer as well to see if you're a good fit. If your interviewer is rude and complains about the job, maybe it is not the place for you.
Once you start your new job, you will meet all kinds of people. De-escalation skills, especially in the current climate, is essential. Often when you're getting yelled at it is because the patient and/or family are frustrated with the care they are receiving. They feel like they are not listened to, and because you're there all day (or night), you're an easier target unfortunately. If this person is able to respond to you in a semi-respectable manner, please try to hear them and make them feel heard. Often times, you will find out vital information the rest of the healthcare team is missing because of such piecemeal care one often receives. Always ask permission to ask questions in this point rather than just asking them. It gives them a little control back and it goes a long way. As long as the patient or their family are not violent or threatening violence, you can try this. It is also a good thing to know when to walk away and/or call security too.
Time management and self-care go hand in hand, especially for the neurodivergent nurse. It can be easy to start a task such as a dressing change and lose an hour (depending on how involved it is), but who has been watching your other patients? Just the reverse can happen, and you can get all of your assessments and charting and medication pass done within a couple hours, then time drags on with intermittent tasks. See if one of your fellow nurses or CNAs needs a hand, it helps the time go by and you're building your professional reputation and social network.
Once you start your new job, you will meet all kinds of people. De-escalation skills, especially in the current climate, is essential. Often when you're getting yelled at it is because the patient and/or family are frustrated with the care they are receiving. They feel like they are not listened to, and because you're there all day (or night), you're an easier target unfortunately. If this person is able to respond to you in a semi-respectable manner, please try to hear them and make them feel heard. Often times, you will find out vital information the rest of the healthcare team is missing because of such piecemeal care one often receives. Always ask permission to ask questions in this point rather than just asking them. It gives them a little control back and it goes a long way. As long as the patient or their family are not violent or threatening violence, you can try this. It is also a good thing to know when to walk away and/or call security too.
Time management and self-care go hand in hand, especially for the neurodivergent nurse. It can be easy to start a task such as a dressing change and lose an hour (depending on how involved it is), but who has been watching your other patients? Just the reverse can happen, and you can get all of your assessments and charting and medication pass done within a couple hours, then time drags on with intermittent tasks. See if one of your fellow nurses or CNAs needs a hand, it helps the time go by and you're building your professional reputation and social network.
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