Healthcare can be both a rewarding and frustrating industry. For those working in nursing, you can often be faced with barriers when it comes to providing patient care. Thankfully, there are ways for anyone to change the future of nursing and patient care.
Healthcare is evolving all the time and it needs the right people to shape its future. For individuals, this can give you an opportunity to affect patient care beyond simply treating people.
When you take ownership of your own personal growth, you can be a part of helping to shape the wider growth of the industry. Here are some powerful ways you can change the face of patient care and help to change problems into solutions.
Stepping Into Leadership Positions
The most effective ways you can effect change are by being in a position to make that change. Investing in your professional development is often the best way to do just that. With opportunities such as online nursing doctoral programs, you can get the qualifications you need to step into a leadership position.
Whatever role you’re ultimately aiming for, getting into a position of authority can allow you to shape policies, improve workflows and advocate for both patients. It can allow you to influence patient care rather than feeling you have your hands tied by existing inefficiencies.
Along with advancing your career through advanced education, there are other ways you can gain leadership skills. Seeking out committee roles can be a fantastic way to contribute and you can take time to increase your own interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
Another way is to become an advocate for your team and colleagues. Some people are scared or nervous to speak up about issues. You can be the one who speaks to upper management and helps to drive standards. If you do this, you will not only develop a more supportive environment but you’ll also gain a reputation as a leader and someone who uses their initiative.
Embracing Evidence-Based Practice
Leaders aren’t just expected to lead based on their personal skills. They are also expected to know everything that is required for accuracy and consistency. They are the ones who will answer the questions, instead of asking them.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an important part of this. It’s all about refining your knowledge through evidence to reduce errors and improve care. To do this, you need to be informed about current research, clinical guidelines, and emerging technologies.
This may be easier than you think. Subscribe to relevant clinical journals and join professional networks. You can also participate in any educational programs that may be available to you. Anyone can do this, and you shouldn’t just wait to be in a leadership position.
You’ll soon get a reputation as someone who can handle difficult scenarios and questions. You’ll already be improving patient care indirectly by helping colleagues. This can be a great stepping stone to eventually having more influence.
Embracing Technology and Innovation
In a similar way to EBP, you want to get ahead of any technological innovation. Technology has helped to redefine patient care for many years now. This may well be accelerated in the future with innovations such as AI-assisted diagnostics.
Even existing technologies, such as the latest advances in CPAP machines, continue to be improved and refined. In any type of job, there are those who stay ahead of advancements and those who struggle to keep up with them. As a healthcare leader, you need to ensure you stay open to innovation.
This doesn’t mean needing to be a tech expert. You simply need to be curious and adaptable, including putting your hand up to participate in any technological rollouts. This means you can provide valuable feedback and encourage any colleagues who may struggle with it.
See also: Enhancing Mental Health Treatment Approaches in Texas
Using Communication to Transform Patient Experiences
Clear communication is vital in today’s diverse healthcare environment. Many people fear direct communication with upper management. The reality is that you need to know how to communicate differently with various groups of people.
In nursing, the communication you have with patients is clearly important. But to change the future of healthcare, your communication with others needs to be highly skilled too. An example here would be explaining a problem to upper management in a straightforward and confident manner, without sounding aggressive or overly critical.
With fellow colleagues, you will be trusted by becoming someone who actively listens to concerns, but equally, you can motivate and address issues with them. This allows you to become respected and allows your voice to carry more weight when discussing patient care.
If you’re passionate about advocating for better patient outcomes, it’s not just about caring. It includes advancing your education, staying up to date the technology and research, as well as learning how to be an effective communicator to everyone you speak to. With these steps, your influence will grow and you can start to change the future of nursing or patient care.
