(Newswire.net — February 4, 2020) — Working as a nurse practitioner is very rewarding both financially and psychologically. The demand for nurse practitioners is also on a steep rise, especially with the healthcare industry growing at an exponential rate. It is only natural that more people are now pursuing a career in this field.
Aside from working at healthcare facilities, there are also plenty of opportunities to specialize in a particular field. Becoming a family nurse practitioner (FNP) is an option worth considering if you enjoy becoming a family-focused healthcare professional.
As the name suggests, a family nurse practitioner focuses on delivering care to family members, especially the elderly. FNPs work side by side with family members in ensuring the health of everyone. They also treat general health issues.
Preparing for a role as a family nurse practitioner isn’t difficult either. If you are interested in becoming an FNP, here are the skills you need to master.
Clinical Skills
Naturally, the first thing you want to have is a degree in family nursing. A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is what you need to pursue if you want to become a family nurse practitioner. You can take a course that specializes in family nursing or go with more specific programs such as Doctor of Nursing Practice Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP FNP) from Baylor University.
The online DNP FNP program from Baylor University is a good example of courses designed to empower registered nurses. The program is conducted online, which means you can study for a DNP FNP degree while working as a fulltime nurse. This way, you sharpen not only your clinical skills but also other skills needed in this profession.
The online DNP program also lets you be flexible with the course itself. You can take the course at your own pace, enter with an existing BSN or MSN-FNP degree, and even be flexible with the cost of the program. Keep in mind that online nursing courses are significantly more affordable than equivalent offline programs.
Taking an online DNP FNP degree has its benefits. While completing the course, you will pick up additional skills such as:
- Pathophysiology, which allows you to identify changes in physical, mechanical, and biochemical functions of all family members
- Assessment, a handy skill to have if you want to be able to diagnose your patients quickly and accurately
- Pharmacology, which grants you access to more knowledge about medicines
- Healthcare policy, an advanced course on regulations, healthcare management, and policies
- Healthcare business, which also prepares you for a higher role in the healthcare industry
Classes such as Family Healthcare Management and Servant Leadership are invaluable. These classes, added to a comprehensive course, are what will prepare you for the challenges to come.
Listening Skills
Listening is a crucial skill to have as a healthcare professional, and it is a particularly valuable skill to master if you want to work as a family nurse practitioner. At the end of the day, family nurse practitioners spend the most time with patients, which is why being able to listen properly is a huge plus.
FNPs serve as patient advocates, bridging the gap between patients and other healthcare professionals. It is up to you to help patients get the health services they need the most, and it is also your responsibility to make sure that the healthcare service provider delivers those services in a pleasant and positive way.
There are several ways to improve your ability to listen. These tips are among the best to try if you want to start listening to your patient better:
- Maintain eye contact and try to face the speaker whenever possible
- Be present, give your attention, and don’t let distractions take that attention away from your patient
- Stay relaxed so that you can maintain an open mind and focus on the most important task: listening
- Listen to listen rather than to give an answer; this is how you really capture key details that you would have missed if you are not paying attention
- Visualize important words to make it easier to remember them later
- Ask questions only when the speaker has finished talking
One more thing to note is the importance of feeling what the speaker feels. This is how you become a great family nurse practitioner. Having (and maintaining) empathy will make you a fantastic healthcare service provider for all family members.
Discipline
Speaking of becoming a fantastic healthcare service provider, it is also important to have a good work ethic, and the way to do that is by being very disciplined at every turn. There are three key components to life as a family nurse practitioner, and they are:
Time Management
Nurses are among the busiest healthcare professionals right now, and understandably so. The demand for good healthcare services is growing rapidly, and nurses are on the frontline of modern healthcare services. Being able to manage your time meticulously allows you to maintain a good work-life balance no matter how busy you are
Collaborative Skills
Don’t forget that family nurse practitioners don’t work alone. You still have to work with physicians and doctors as well as fellow nurses. Being able to stay flexible and adaptive when working with others is important, especially since – as mentioned before – nurses play the role of patient advocates. You cannot deliver good healthcare services without collaborating with others.
Organizational Skills
Earning an online DNP FNP degree means you also learn about the business side of healthcare along with organizational skills. These organizational skills are more valuable than you think, even when you are not planning to enter healthcare management. This is because you are also responsible for organizing paperwork, managing medical records, and performing other administrative tasks.
These components are what will make discipline an easy skill to master. As long as you know how to manage your time, work with others, and follow procedures, you will have no trouble achieving success as a family nurse practitioner.
Other skills are just as important. Flexibility, communications, and some computer skills are handy in this line of work. The basic skills we covered in this article, however, are the skills you want to master early as you enter the field of family nursing.