The healthcare sector is dependent on healthcare practitioners. If the staff is excellent, then the care will also be outstanding. Graduating from medical school, whether as a nurse or a doctor, is only phase one of the processes. While medical school can give you knowledge, only experience can polish you. You may know all the diseases and their transmission at your fingertips. However, if you don’t know how to apply them, your knowledge is useless.
As a nurse, your job is already quite demanding. You’re on your feet all day and barely get rest. The healthcare sector cannot have exhausted staff members. If you’re tired, the chances of you messing up are high. So it would help if you found a way to strike a balance between your work and your life. When you take care of all the factors that control you, it makes a difference. The small measures you take into account will define you as a nurse. So here are ways you can improve your work performance:
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Upgrade Your Education
As a nurse, graduating from school doesn’t mean you’re finished studying. The medical sector is ever-expanding and ever-changing. New information is becoming a part of the system. You need to stay ahead of new concepts. Rejoining a physical college may be out of the question. Therefore, the question raised in your mind is, can you take nursing classes online and fit them into your schedule? The answer is yes. Online education allows you to continue your studies with your current job.
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Have Boundaries
You are not superhuman. Don’t try to take more than you can handle. While extra shifts may get you more money, they can wear you down. If you ignore your health, you may show signs of fatigue. You may start getting headaches and even body aches. If you continue messing with your health, a point comes where you may collapse. There is no shame in admitting what you can handle. Developing early boundaries will also help you from getting overworked. The administration will know your limits and never go across them. When you show up to work, you’ll feel far more energetic and perform better.
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Join Nursing Committees
Nursing committees are discussion forums. They cover a range of topics, including relevant research work. When you join a committee, you get exposed to all sorts of perspectives. These can help you do work better and even help you become a better nurse. For example, you join a committee on providing primary care like suturing workshop for nurse practitioners. You learn the types of primary care and what methods are ineffective. You get to share the platform with various nurses, so there will always be something to remember when you know what patients want and how it makes you a better nurse.
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Know Your Weaknesses
These can be in the way you do work or how you take care of yourself. If your patient charting technique is poor, try brushing it up. The same goes for other aspects of work. If you consume greasy food and can’t help it on a break, it will impact the way you work. As a nurse, you know how diet and exercise play a role in what you do. If you can’t eat healthily and take care of physical health, your work will suffer. So you must know what your weaknesses are and work on them. If you’re struggling on your own, ask a peer to help you out.
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Finish What You Start
As a nurse, you will have much work to do. It comes with the territory. However, you need to finish everything you start. Don’t leave tasks in between, or else you’ll forget. If you’re checking a patient, make sure you have a list of everything you need to do. Don’t attempt half the routine checkup and the other half later. If you’re making notes for the chart, sit and finish them. If you have an emergency that needs your immediate attention, see to it first. However, put a reminder for yourself so you don’t forget. When you get the idea behind a work task balance, you’ll never mess up your tasks.
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Boost Your Self Esteem
There is no denying how much the field expects from you. There will be good days and bad days. Maybe a senior doctor yells at you for no reason. A patient may be too difficult to handle. You may also feel stressed and under the weather to do work. In any case, you need to find ways to be your cheerleader. Boost yourself up and remind yourself why you’re here. If you feel you can’t help yourself, you need to make time for counseling. Don’t leave your needs unattended. It will only make it difficult for you to handle work. It will help if you have a support system at work. Look for nurses who think and feel like you. You can offer your support to them and let them provide their support to you. The more you allow your self-esteem to flourish, the more you’ll grow.
Final Words
Your work performance makes all the difference. Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare sector. If you work on yourself, you’ll be able to help your patients. Always start by working on your skills as a nurse. Upgrade your education and acquire new skills. While you’re at work, try and get involved with committees on better nursing skills. Know your boundaries and never overdo your work. When you take on a task, make sure you work towards completion. It would help if you also had time to work on your weaknesses so they don’t become a hassle. Finally, learn to discipline yourself and manage your time for all your work.