Nursing & Verbal Communication

In the career of nursing, effective verbal communication skills are considered essential, both with patients and co-workers.

Bedside Manner

Every day on the job, nurses have to interact with and treat patients who are often ailing and uncomfortable. Verbal communication skills are critical in routine tasks; for example, nurses must often reassure anxiety-ridden patients.

Working with Colleagues

Nurses must also deal with doctors and other nurses in treating patients' ailments and handling their care. This requires good verbal communication among colleagues.

Incentives

Many health-care providers are regularly evaluated on their communication skills with patients, and the evaluations are important to either performance reviews or pay incentives.

Learning the Skills

Although efficient and effective communication skills are part of the curriculum of many training programs, improvement can also be made through hands-on experience and by watching how effective colleagues do their work.

An Added Bonus

Experts also say that being an effective communicator and building a strong rapport with patients helps health-care providers become happier in their work, according to NurseLink, a nursing career information website.

References

• NursingLink: Good Bedside Manners Make a Difference