Nursing Skills Checklist

Bonica

September 29, 2023

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So, you’re entering the world of nursing after graduating and getting your license. Maybe you’re asked about your skills, you don’t know what to write in the skills section on your CV, or you simply want to know what abilities and skills you should have as a nurse!

Whether you’re a nurse, looking to start your career or you just want to enhance your skills and become better at your job, we’ve got you covered!

Today, we’re going to tell you all about the soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills you should obtain as a nurse. These are all you need to get the job you want and help your team thrive!

Going to nursing school is not enough in this competitive job market and you should show that you’re the best among many candidates. You should be professional, knowledgeable, and have the essential nursing skills.

But the question is what are these skills?

Let’s find out!

Table of Contents

What Are Nursing Skills and Why Are They Important?

When you’re applying for a job, you should know that there are some specific skills that every employer is looking for in candidates. These include soft and hard skills that help you provide great care, attract patient’s trust, and help the team get the best outcomes.

Here are some skills that employers seek in their ideal candidate:

Essential Soft Skills for Nurses

Nursing isn’t just about medical and health-related knowledge. It’s actually about the art of compassionate care!

So, if you want to make it big as a nurse, you need these soft skills:

Communication Skills

As a nurse, the first thing you have to do perfectly is to communicate sympathetically. Nurses are the ones who give medical information to patients and their families and have the most interaction with them.

Interpersonal Skills

A very crucial soft skill for a nurse is the ability to build a meaningful relationship with the patients! You need to know how to connect with them and make them feel valued!

Teamwork Skills

The most important goal in every medical facility is to have better patient outcomes. However, it’s impossible without teamwork. Patient care is not a job that you can do alone. You’ll be a part of a team, trying to help people through their hard times!

Empathy

Empathy means the ability to understand the feelings of others. Most patients are in their hard times and they need empathy very much.

As a nurse, you should put yourself in the patient’s shoes. You should know what they need, and show them compassion! You’ll be their emotional support!

Attention to Detail

In healthcare, precision is crucial!

Nurses must pay attention to detail since they have to administer medications accurately and record patient information correctly

Don’t forget that even the smallest oversight can have big consequences!

Time Management

There are days in hospitals when you have multiple tasks and responsibilities at hand, and not being able to manage the time correctly, can come with serious consequences!

You should be able to provide care to all the patients under your supervision. So, you have to work on your time management skills!

Ethics and Professionalism

A non-negotiable skill for nurses is maintaining high ethical standards and being a professional. You should be able to recognize and respect the patient’s autonomy, beware of the nursing code of ethics, and be a trustworthy person in care!

Essential Hard Skills for Nurses

There are some hard and technical skills that employers pay attention to when hiring a nurse. Let’s learn about the important ones.

Basic Care Techniques and Knowledge

Nurses must have a strong knowledge of basic medical procedures, such as wound care, medication administration, and vital sign monitoring.

Without this skill, you can’t become a nurse!

Urgent Care and Emergency Care

You need to be professional in urgent and emergency care. There will be high-pressure situations at your work, where you need to step up confidently and help with emergency care.

So, take a look at the emergency care protocols and prepare yourself for critical moments.

Patient Transport

Moving patients safely and comfortably is a very important skill. You should know how to transfer patients between beds, wheelchairs, and stretchers safely.

Patient and Family Education

You’re going to be the person who has the most contact with the patient and their family. You should know how to educate them on the patient’s situation and how to manage it.

You should educate them on medical conditions, treatment plans, and the modifications they must make in their lifestyle.

Patient Safety

Patient safety is the key hard skill for a nurse. You learn this in nursing school, but you need to keep your knowledge of it up to date.

At your job as a nurse, you’ll be responsible for identifying potential risks and ensuring that patients are protected from harm.

You should also know all about infection control, fall prevention, and medication safety measures.

Technology Skills

In today’s healthcare environment, technology has become a key skill for nurses. You should know how to use various medical devices, electronic health records (EHRs), and telemedicine tools to provide efficient care as emphasized in the AUAMED md program.

Keep yourself updated with the latest technological advancements!

Example of Nursing Skills List for a Resume

Your resume is the first thing that attracts the attention of employers. You should be able to list everything that a professional resume has and don’t forget about those skills that are important to employers.

Here, we created you a checklist so you don’t forget anything before sending your CV!

Nursing Resume Checklist

Contact Information

First of all, write your name, phone number, email address, and professional social media profiles. Having a LinkedIn account helps a lot.

Objective or Summary

Write a summary of your career goals and who you are. Don’t make it long or very short. You can follow this example:

“Dedicated registered nurse with 3 years of experience, passionate about improving patient outcomes, and proficient in wide range of medical procedures.”

Licensure and Certifications

List all relevant licenses and certifications, including your Registered Nurse (RN) license, Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) certification, and any specialized certifications.

If you have attended any other course, that could be very helpful. Enter everything that you’ve learned and got a certificate for.

Education

Detail your nursing degree, institution, graduation date, and any academic honors or awards. If you have done any student or volunteer work at the university, don’t forget to mention it.

Clinical Experience

Don’t forget to highlight your clinical experiences, such as internships, rotations, and any other areas of practice (e.g., pediatric nursing, critical care).

Nursing Skills

Create a dedicated section to showcase your nursing skills. Use bullet points to list both soft skills and hard skills. Don’t forget important skills like communication skills, interpersonal skills, technical skills, wound care, emergency care, and others we talked about.

Work History

If you have worked before, write it on your resume. Start with the most recent nursing position and list them in order. Remember to describe your responsibilities, achievements, and contributions in each position.

Don’t go too long though! Be precise and short!

Professional Memberships

If you’re a member of nursing organizations like American Nurses Association or other associations, mention them on your CV!

References

Include references from nursing supervisors, educators, or colleagues. Include their contact info, and give them a heads up before submitting your resume.

How to Improve Nursing Skills

So, you think you need to improve your nursing skills! Actually, you should always be after improvement since the world of healthcare is so changing! Here are some techniques for enhancing your skills as a nurse!