The Importance of Having Great Communication Skills as a Nurse

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Communication skills are important in every day life and having great communication in nursing is not only vital, but also critical. When conversing with other medical team members such as supervisors, doctors and co-workers, it is critical that everyone is on the same page and the instructions and information passed is accurate.

Nurses not only communicate with other medical team members, but they also communicate with patients and their family members. Sometimes there is a language barrier that can get in the way of accurately conveying the right message. Some nurses are bilingual and can speak other languages, such as Spanish, which is so widely used in America now. This can cut down on communication barriers immensely. Nurses who are able to speak other languages will find that they will be able to communicate much more effectively at times with patients and their families.

Communication and Trust

When nurses converse with patients and their families, while taking care of them, it is important for the patient to feel as though they can trust and talk to the nurse who is caring for them. Trust will enable the nurse to gather very important history and medical information and be able to administer the medical treatment needed to help that patient. Mistakes are not an option in the medical field and clear communication is so important.

Good communication will sometimes come from one who has the ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes, so to speak. A person who can read body language, facial expressions and listen to tone with a calm demeanor and be able to communicate back with confidence and compassion, will be able to gain the trust of the patient and his or her family. Nurse deals with different personality types every single minute of the day. Effective communication technique is good, but having great communication adaptive skills is even better.

Improving Communication Skills

According to Nurse Together, successful communication has three major components: the sender, the receiver and the message. Many times, a nurse will have a great deal of information to convey in a short amount of time. To communicate effectively, he or she must consider the surroundings, past experiences, personal perceptions, and timing. In nursing, sometimes there is no good time and no good message to give to family members or patients. Therefore, a nurse must communicate information with great care, sensitivity, compassion and confidence. Sometimes effective nursing care comes from the communication nurses receive from the previous shift, in order to notify others of any events or issues that occurred from the previous shift.

Communication skills are constantly used in the medical field and nursing comes into direct contact at the bedsides of patients and directly with all medical team members involved. Learning the best policies and standards of great communication skills, knowing what needs to be improved and continuously improving communication skills is imperative when dealing with such delicate processes. This is a rewarding career and it rewards those who make the effort to be warm and congenial at all times.