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Anyone choosing to work in the healthcare environment should have empathy towards people who need healthcare. Being in the hospital or seeking any kind of medical treatment is a stressful time for anyone, so life becomes a lot easier if healthcare professionals are tactful and caring when handling patients in these situations. Apart from having the ability to care about others, there are other qualities one would expect from someone working in the healthcare environment.

6 Key Skills Necessary to be a Healthcare Professional

Compassion

Showing compassion is a quality everyone is capable of having, but it’s particularly important when dealing with people who are about to undergo treatment in a healthcare facility. Compassion can be defined as showing concern and empathy when someone is going through a difficult time. This is clearly seen if the healthcare worker can walk out of work every day with the feeling that someone has gained immensely from their presence. There is nothing better than being able to go home feeling satisfaction that you have made someone smile.

Good Communication Skills

So many people these days spend time on their phones texting and Googling, even when they are supposed to be communicating with others. A good healthcare worker will put the mobile device down while at work and concentrate on communicating with the people they are paid to care for. This means listening to patients and their family’s concerns about health treatment and outcomes. Showing that both the patient and his or her family are valued parts of the treatment process. Most of all, communicating in a calm manner that is easy to listen to and keeps everyone involved in a good mood and calm.

Being Able to Multitask

Working in healthcare involves a variety of skills depending on the job. There are a number of tasks that may be necessary to be done throughout a working day. If you are a nurse these could include any of the following in a single day, depending on the healthcare setting:

● Checking patients well-being regularly.
● Ensuring the right medication and dosages are delivered to the patient at the right time.
● Allowing time to discuss the patients’ progress with the doctor and any concerns you may have as a healthcare worker.
● Ensuring the patient notes are kept up to date and are legibly written.
● Keeping a smile on your face to keep stress levels down.

Being Physically Fit

Working in a healthcare facility isn’t just sitting at a desk all day. It’s a busy environment moving around from place to place. Keeping a high level of physical fitness means the day is less stressful and physically demanding. Of course all that moving around helps you to keep a high level of fitness too which may not be possible in a more sedentary job. So you should be glad that being a healthcare worker is quite a physically demanding job.

Ability to Solve Problems as Required

Sometimes quick decisions have to be made so it’s important not to dither when some important action needs to take place. A healthcare worker needs to be able to solve a problem both rationally and calmly and in a way that keeps all those parties involved happy. He or she has to decide at times whether more professional help should be sought if a difficult decision has to be made.

Listening with Compassion

Sometimes a patient or their relatives need to show their emotions. A healthcare professional should listen with a sympathetic ear and wait until the words that they want to say are finished. At this point a kindly, caring response is required so the people concerned depart the area feeling relaxed and confident. Compassion is a tool that humans possess which can change an environment instantly if it’s applied.

Calling an Interpreter to Improve Understanding

Not all people necessarily speak fluently the language of the healthcare facility, so if there is a vital need to improve understanding a good healthcare worker will call for the services of an interpreter as soon as possible, so misunderstandings don’t take place.

Conclusion

If you want to be a healthcare worker yourself there is more to it than treating patients. It’s important to respond in a positive way to patients and work colleagues. To always have a smile ready as required is one of the best qualities of any healthcare worker however dire the situation happens to be. A smile is a positive act and conveys warmth towards anyone who sees it. Looks of aggression draw alarm amongst those who view it. This is not the way a healthcare professional should ever act.

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