Communication and Interpersonal Skills to Nursing Education
What Effective Communication and Inter-Personal Skill
There is a vital role in effective communication and interpersonal skills that directly impact the patient’s healthcare outcomes. It is strong demand in nursing profession to communicate directly, so it is very essential to learn and develop abilities of best communication skills.
Lets discuss and explore the need of communication and interpersonal skills development in nursing faculty and specifically in nursing students to face professionals challenges. In this way the students will learn effective teaching strategies and their planned incorporation into nursing education.
Communication and Importance of communication Skills in Nursing Profession
In clinical settings there is direct interaction between nurses and patients, so there is a crucial role of communication for nursing professionals. It is the fundamental element of nursing practice. If a nurse is aware of the importance of communication so, we can emphasize effective communication training. The following are some of the best significances of effective communication:
For Mutual Trust Harmony Building
As we know mutual trust and rapport, or harmony is necessary in the health care setting for a smooth flow of work. The gaps between nurse and patient become shortened when concerns are communicated and listen well under trustworthy relationship, the feeling of respect they feel. Effective communication is the key to building trust and listening to patient concerns.
Enhance Patient Understanding
If we want that patient to clearly understand diagnosis, treatment option and health care plan, it is necessary that clear communication is provided. All patients belong to literary level and understanding so, a nurse must convey complex medical information in such manner that empowers patient for better understanding and participate in the treatment decision.
Teamwork and Make Easy and Collaborative Approach
The collaboration of healthcare providers with nursing professionals is a need of healthcare system. As nurses we collaborate with other healthcare professionals to coordinate as a team. When there is effective and strong communication it enable the nurse to convey the information for advocating the student and work for the interdisciplinary team. It ultimately results in better health outcomes are improved.
Conflicts and Difficulties Management
In our healthcare system with high stress settings there is a chance of conflict arising. These interpersonal skills are helpful for nurses to navigate the challenging conversation, manage conflicts, and relieve out in stressed conditions, that promote a healthy environment for both patients and healthcare providers.
Challenges in Educational Communication in Nursing
There is an undeniable importance of communication in nursing, but at the same time it is challenging factors that affect this communication. Some of them are the following:
Time Limitation in Curriculum
Along with other disciplines nursing as well face rigorous curricula, and bounded time duration for communication training in nursing. In such situations, sometimes comprehensive and technical training is deprioritized.
Student with Diverse Culture and Communication Language Backgrounds
As we faced in a batch of graduation there are a variety of students from different cultural languages and backgrounds along with different languages levels. It is very challenging for some students to struggle with the language’s barriers and cultural differences and for trainer or mentor also.
Vulnerability Fear
There is a continue threat for a student who is practicing communications skills, especially there is role playing or practicing activity for students on simulation use. This discomfort of hesitation is acting as a hindrance for the students to refine their skills and communication.
Technical Skills focused Environment among Healthcare Systems
There is priority focused on technical skills rather than communication skills as traditional educational requirement. So, it results in the neglection of communication skills and focus on technical skills only.
Strategies For Inter-Personal Skills and Communication Skills Teaching
There are several communication and interpersonal strategies that nursing educators can apply to nursing students and their own selves that will result in the learning environment being more engaging. Some of them are the following:
Make the Communication Skills Part of Curriculum
There should be an integration of communication skills in the nursing curriculum rather than as ac course. This incorporation results in the reinforcement of communication skills in nursing.
Simulation Based Learning
By using simulation nursing educators offers an effective way to teach communication skills. When realistic scenarios are offered it is very easy for the students to practice without any hesitation and a sense of being corrected by expert faculty. The immediate feedback of simulators makes students enable to refine their skills and gain confidence.
Role Playing Activities
On different nursing events that are part of curricular or non-curricular activities, students can practice difficult conversations of patient concern e.g. break the sad news. This role playing allows the students to enhance their own skills and set examples for such communication and leave out their hesitations.
Educating the Active Learning Techniques to Nursing Students
When you are willing to communicate effectively it is crucial to listen to all of them actively. This active listening can be promoted by reflecting paraphrasing and summarizing. This activity is also helpful for nursing students and professionals to listen to and understand patient information effectively.
Promotion of Cultural Competencies
For a diverse population of patient’s effective communication is very essential. Most educational experts suggest cultural awareness along with communication, that teach them cultural respects that has a huge impact on communication style.
Encourage for Self-Reflection
In all fields of education self-reflection is a very powerful tool for personal and professional growth. This reflection is also helpful to identify the strengths and weaknesses and focus on the improvement of goals. The guided reflection is proved facilitating for it.
Provision of Constructive Feedback
Skill development requires feedback to find strengths and weaknesses. It is necessary for educators to provide encouraging feedback for students for their communication while using simulations in a controlled environment. Most of the experts suggest specific, actionable and supportive environment for improvement in communication.
Educators Roel for Developing Communication Skills in Nursing Students
The nursing faculty plays a crucial role in the development of communication skills in students. The teaching approaches are significantly influential for the development of communication. Some of the strategies are given below:
Effective Modeling of Communication Skills
The best way for the demonstration of effective communication skills is by interactive sessions. This modeling can be done by active listening, professional empathy and clear communication. In this way faculty can set an example for the students.
Creating a Safe Learning Environment
In a supportive learning environment is encouraging for the students to practice and develop communication skills without any hurdle. It is the responsibility of faculty to foster an environment of trust and respect that make students to be free and comfortable for sharing thoughts and experiences.
Peer Collaboration Encouragement
This collaboration is communication enhancing for the students. Collaborative projects and group discussion and peer feedback are an opportunity to encourage and engage students for practice and evaluate themselves on their own levels.
Stay Alert with the Latest Communication Strategies
The latest or Current way of teaching are more reliable and technology incorporating in health care environment so keep in touch with these future a head techniques id necessary. Noe world is a global village where nursing professionals move from one to another healthcare setup nothing should be challenging for them.
Evaluation of Communication Skills
Learning enhanced by evaluation and assessment in educational setups. When there is a sense of being checked or evaluated it is very helpful for attaining and training of learned skills.
Role of OSCEs or Objective Structured Clinical Examinations
When simulations are available for communication practices, OSCEs are additional tools for educators to get involved in learning activities. By such structured, evaluating and interactive strategies the learning grading is also possible.
Impact of Effective Communication on Patient Outcomes in Healthcare System
There are the following positive impacts of communication on patients:
Enhance Patient Satisfaction
Communication in the proper way acts as half aspect of care. The sense of being heard and fully expression of feelings is acts like medicine on patient clinical condition. Patient satisfaction boasts up-to many levels that ultimately result in better outcomes.
Increasing Patient Compliance
It is the part of Patient Compliance to be listened to and properly communicated. For proper follow-up pf health care instructions for healthcare, it is necessary to be understood properly.
Minimize Errors and Mishandling
When patient health issues and listening properly and healthcare instructions are given clearly, their implementation and outcomes are very effective. It also enhances healing.
Encouraging for Therapeutic Communication
Communication is the key to trust building and creating a healing environment. It also built effective relationships among nurses, patients and family.
Conclusion or Summary
Effective Communication is necessary for:
Interpersonal Skills
Career Success
Collaborative Teamwork
Improve Patient Outcomes
Incorporation in Curriculum
Enhance Quality of Care