Communication Skills in Relation to Contemporary Nursing Practice - Essay Example

Running head: reflections on nursing practice experiences 29th May Introduction In any profession, effective communication skills are important. In order for employees and managers to perform their duties in a proper manner, strong communication should not be overlooked. In nursing, communication between the junior nurses and the team leaders must be undertaken in a regular manner to avoid deaths among the patients. Similarly, nurses who on daily bases attend the patients must be in a position to assist the patients to be aware of their medical issues as well as to give relevant instructions on how the patients can take care of themselves. Nurses attending the patients must also be in a position to plainly explain the condition of the patients to their fellow nurses as well as doctors. This paper aims at providing reflections on communication skills both verbal and written in relation to contemporary nursing practice from commencement of my programme to present. As a student nurse, verification of information was one of the major communication skills that nurses should emulate in order to perform their duties effectively. This means that before nurses act on the information, it is my duty as a nurse to confirm the information especially where verbal communication is involved (Spence, 2005). Based on the fact that it is easy to misunderstand other person’s words, nurses should ensure they repeat the information as a way of ensuring that it is correct. As a policy, hospitals should put in place strategies to avoid errors and risk of miscommunication thus ensuring that patients are attended effectively (Levsey, 2007). During the introduction to basic concepts of Pharmacology, I covered various concepts that relates to patient teaching when administering medications (Buchanan, 2002). Another notable skill that was incorporated to me by the experienced instructors at our introduction stage was the communication collaboration. Some of the key issues that I gained from as indicated by Spence’s basic rules of communication collaboration included learning about others, giving and getting respect by valuing others opinions, being explicit and clear to others and remembering the five Cs that includes clarity, completeness, conciseness, concreteness and correctness among others (Katzenbach, 2003). As the result of positive impact of communication skills in my first year, I acquired relevant experience that made me to effectively deal with other course in the second and third year (DeChurch, 2010). It is imperative that nurses collect reliable evidence and information that will be used in the treatment of the patients. In this regard, the major area that has positively impacted on my nursing career up to now is patient education (Fang et al, 2006). This entailed explaining to the patients about the importance of the treatments as well as the medications that they are receiving. Based on the fact that nurses have more time to intermingle with the patients, the nursing courses exposed me to the various ways of assisting the patients to understand as well as teach them to participate in their recovery (Schneider, 2010). As a result, I gained convincing skills that would motivate the patients to provide resourceful information that would be used by the doctors as well as the nurses during the recovery process (Schramm, 1954). One of the major institutes that play a key role in improving the communication process among the nurses and that assisted me in my studies was the Social Care (Osborn , 1963)Institute for Excellence (SCIE). Social Care Institute for Excellence is a UK based organization that is involved in disseminating knowledge for good practice in matters dealing with social care. By providing general learning materials and specialists tool kits the organization is able to provide student nurses with the best ways of relating with the patients as well as other nurses and doctors (West, 2012). SCIE plays a significant role in managing knowledge and research (Draper, 2011). The organization’s knowledge management resources indicate how as a future provider of care I will improve my practice by using knowledge more effectively (Roy, 2010). For the period of time I have undertaken the nursing course, I have gained from the knowledge that relates to the activities of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). NMC is also a UK statutory body that aims at regulating midwifery professions. By regular reviewing of the nursing education and training, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has ensured that together with other student nurses we acquire necessary skills that will be of importance of our future duties once we graduate (Barnlund, 2008). As a core regulator of the nursing profession in UK, NMC sets the standard and requirement for nursing programs in order to ensure that tomorrow nurses are fit to practice. This implies that the organization has significantly impacted on me as a student of nursing for the last two years. Another key area that I have gained from during my studies was on technical writing. During my studies, I was able to gain knowledge related to documentation and maintaining accurate records that would be resourceful to doctors and other nurses (Berlo, 1960). It is vital to note that accuracy is crucial in a nursing profession. Through the various assignments and projects that I have undertaken in the last two years and the assistance form my instructors, I am now in a position to provide information and data that would be used as current future references by the other nurses and doctors once I graduate and start practicing. According to studies done by Baer and Weinstein on Improving oncology nurses communication skills for difficult conversations, it is vital that tailored programs are provided to nurses in order to effectively address the challenges faced by patients. Additionally, Baer and Weinstein (2013) argues that strong communication skills both verbal and written among the nurses, play an essential role in influencing satisfaction of the consumers, overall clinical outcomes and adhering to care plans. Conclusion For the time I have covered various nursing units, my communication skills have greatly improved. The course work, assignments and projects that I have undertaken so far, I am in a position to express myself to other nurses as well as doctors. Additionally, the UK government through the establishment of Social Care Institute for Excellence and Nursing and Midwifery Council, my nursing career has been positively shaped by establishing nursing courses that are in line with the needs of the society. The communication skills that I have gained will make me a successful nurse once I start practicing. References Baer, L and Weinstein, E. 2013. Improving oncology nurses communication skills for difficult conversations, PubMed - indexed for Medline Jun; 17(3):E45-51. Berlo, D. 1960. The process of communication. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. Barnlund, D. 2008. A transactional model of communication. In. C. D. Mortensen Communication theory .New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction. Buchanan, J. 2002. Global nursing shortages. BM 324 (7340): 751. DeChurch, L. 2010. The Cognitive Underpinnings of Effective Teamwork: a Meta-Analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology 95 (1): 32–53. Draper, E. 2011. Occupational Health Nursing and the Quest for Professional Authority, New Solutions 21(1):57–88 Fang, D et al. 2006. 2005-2006 enrollment and graduations in baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Katzenbach, J. 2003. The Wisdom of Teams. NY: HarperCollins. Levsey, K. 2007. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow; Challenges in Securing Federal Support for Graduate Nurses, Journal of Nursing Education, 46 (4), 176-183. Osborn, A. 1963. Applied imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem solving NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Roy, M. 2010. Communicating. MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2 9-12 Schramm, W. 1954. How communication works. In W. Schramm (Ed.), The process and effects of communication, Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. Schneider, J. 2010. Healthcare advocacy experts aid workers, Miami Herald 31 August 2010 Spence, M. 2005. Graphic Design Collaborative Processes: a Course in Collaboration, Pennsylvania: AIGA. West, M. 2012. Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research. Chichester, West Sussex: BPS Blackwell. Read More