Proficiency In Managing Technical Skills In Nursing Practice: A Contemporary Transitional Factor

Nurses are enabled to spend more time with the patients, eliminate the number of errors, drive more information, develop research-based practices, boost efficacy and enhance safety. There are several areas where the nurses need to cope or have to manage their technical skills. For example, the nurses are responsible for sharing information and educating patients. In addition, the nurses need to utilize electronic medical records for documentation of the patient in the practice. Using electronic medical records is most effective to collect data or details of the patient including vital signs, rate of respiration, ECG, blood pressure and others (Biagioli et al., 2018). It can make easier the workflow and can make smooth the overall work. They are accounted for recording and observing the vital signs, insertion the catheters and providing care for wounds. 

This paper evaluates the proficiency in executing and managing the technical skills in nursing practice as a contemporary transitional factor. It has identified the shortage of nursing and managing of the technical skill can bring shock for the graduate nurses (Calleja, Adonteng-Kissi, & Romero, 2019). As a contemporary transitional factor technical skill plays a major role in the nursing practice as it helps to implement the transition process. It can increase the professional accountability and commitment of the nurses. In recent times, registered nurses have been using electronic medical records for the documentation of patients. This report aims to show how using electronic medical records for patient documentation helps nurses in their transition of practice (Chen et al., 2021). It also shows that the graduate nurses may face difficulties in developing the skills or assessing vital signs as they have only theoretical knowledge. In addition, nurses also can use technology for giving family and patient education information. 

As per current evidence, the nurses need to be comfortable using the advanced technology for giving the patients with the available care. In transition, the graduate nurses can face challenges regarding making proficiency to manage the technical skills. Graduate nurses have only knowledge of theory and for this reason, these nurses have a lower score in technical skills (Doughty et al., 2018).  They need to be competent in the application of medical devices and equipment such as mechanical ventilators, glucometers, and defibrillators. Other technical skills involve the appropriate care of burns, wounds and injuries. It has been found that the nursing technical skill requirements vary by specialization. 

According to Fawaz, Hamdan-Mansour and Tassi, (2018), performing interventions that use technological devices gives a sustained and better health outcome. Recent literature has stated the graduate nurses have less score in technical skills. These graduate nurses could not manage the increasing number of the patients with different complex conditions, lack of access to the coaches or mentors. They have facing issues related to shortage of staffs and others. As per Ghanbari et al., (2017), technical skills are undertaken within the coursework of the clinic as a means of distinguishing skills from competence. It has been identified that newly graduated registered nurses have less proficiency in technical skills or may face difficulties in completing the technical tasks. However, the graduate nurses may face difficulties in making of proficiency in the utilization of technical skills. 

Different ways Graduate Nurses Coping with Unexpected Events

A shortage of nursing staffs may bring pressure on the student nurses. This increases workload and fear among them However after application of technical skills they can easly overcome the issues. According to Graf et al., (2020), the graduate nurses have to play different roles in different areas through critical thinking, attention to detail, analytical thinking and using or maintaining the equipment. In transition to graduate nurse into the registered nurse they need to learn the technical skills for some departments examples are given below. 

 In the emergency room or in intensive care the nurses need to apply the entire skill sets that they have learned. In fact, in the pre operation situation, the nurses need to prepare patients for the surgery and need to work closely with the anesthesia providers. In this situation, the nurses need to handle all instruments or the equipment in the operating room. In the department of neonatal, labor and delivery and general medical care the nurses need to know the use of different screening tools and need to monitor the progress of the labor pain. Technical skills in nursing may be highly evolved in the general medical as the surgical as those in emergency and critical care settings (Halpin, Terry & Curzio, 2017). 

For example, nurses have been using modern technologies or electronic medical records for managing and arranging the health information of patients. They are mainly responsible for categorizing the records of the medical status of the patient and making them accessible and adequate purposes, medical personnel, physicians and different databases. The nurses need to consolidate the medical chart of a patient into digital documents. It is used for recording the updated news of patients that can be examined in real terms by authorized users in the digital format. In order to manage the electronic medical record, there is a need to use administrative and billing data, notes of progress, demographics of the patient and vital signs (Hu et al., 2017. 

Registered nurses need to seek professional development opportunities and apparent proficiency with technological skills. It is argued by Hussein et al., (2017), electronic health records have emerged the health information technology as a meaningful use for improving the efficacy and quality of healthcare and disparities of health in the health of the population. With the appropriate implementation and training, the electronic medical health record is a significant source in the management of the health of the population (Irwin, Bliss & Poole, 2018). In nursing care, benefits and usage of digital technologies are helping to make solutions for different issues such as shortage of skilled workers and increasing the demand for long term care. 

It is stated by Karami, Farokhzadian and Foroughameri, (2017), that technical skill is a vital part of the competence of the graduate nurses. It has an impact on the readiness of the new graduate nurses for practice an area of debate since transferring the education of nurses from the apprenticeship training programs to the higher educational institutions. The first reason is that the nurses need to work in different departments where they need to implement their technological skills. In order to monitor, and assess vital signs the student nurses need to cope up and develop proficiency in technical skills (Labrague, & De los Santos, 2020). For this reason, the student nurses need to be trained and practice this technical skill. New graduate nurses need to be ready to manage any critical situation through evidence-based medical practices and healthcare technologies. In nursing, the curriculum-based practicals such as lab skills of labs and clinical assignments help the new graduates to develop their hard skills. However, graduate nurses have been expected to be experts in the technical skills for being competent nurses including an understanding of the pathophysiology, taking of the vital signs, administration of medications, starting off the IVs and inserting the catheters. 

Analysis

It has been found that the student nurses need to do medical assistance by preparing patients, reading an electrocardiogram, and scheduling the medications. However, in physical therapy, the nurses have to do therapeutic exercises and be proficient in the application of modalities such as electrotherapy, ultrasound and others. 

As per Murray, Sundin and Cope, (2019), technical skills can improve the self-confidence of the nurses that they have the competence and knowledge to conduct their daily tasks to the best of their ability. These technical skills of the nurses may have the ability to appropriate care for and dress the wound. Based on the area of the speciality the nurses need to have bandages and clean the wounds. They also need to provide education to the patients (Mery et al., 2019). This skill or contemporary transitional factor helps the nurses to be a registered nurses and to fulfil all the responsibilities according to standards. By applying the technical skills the nurses can bandage or monitor the patients that help to engage in the therapeutic relationship. As per the standard of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the nurses can comprehensively conduct the assessment by developing proficiency in monitoring and recording the vital signs (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2019). 

The nurses can maintain the capability for the practice by developing technical skills. By improving their proficiency in managing technical skills the nurses can provide appropriate, safe and responsive quality practice of nursing (nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2022). As per the 4 NMC standards, nurses need to prioritize people, practice in effective manner, preserve safety and promote professionalism and trust. The improvement of technical skills can help the nurses to acquire competence and compassion. According to the Code of ethics, the nurses need to maintain the ethics of justice, accountability, fidelity, and autonomy. These ethics can be supported through acquiring technical skills (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2019). 

Usage of the electronic medical records can improve the safety and quality of the patients via standardized plans of care, reminders and guidelines. The automated alerts have prevented any medical errors in the practice. All these clinical practices address the standard of registered nurses to ensure patient safety in nursing practice (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2019). 

Conclusion 

It is clear from the above analysis that graduate nurses may achieve the competencies and can fulfil their responsibilities by utilizing their technical skills. It can be concluded that through developing the technical skills the graduate nurses may be able to maintain the standard of 2, 5 and 6. The application of EMR in the nursing practice can increase the safety of the patient and also helps in the assessment of the patients. Specifically, the 6th standard is addressed here by utilizing the electronic medical record and through assessment, monitoring and bandaging or healing the wounds. By utilization of technical skills, the nurses can give comprehensive, quality practice for achieving goals and outcomes that are responsive to the needs of the nurse. This practice is followed by the policies of musing medical devices, standards of nursing and regulation. It is the most effective comprehensive transitional factor as it can be used in the appropriate procedure for identifying and reporting potential and actual risks related to the system issues. As per the NMBA standard, the nurses indicate accountability in their practice. Nurses are mainly accountable or the actions, behaviours, decisions and responsibilities that amy be inherent in the nursing roles including the documentation. 

It can be recommended that the graduate nurses need to increase their self-care techniques through the correct application of technical skills. The nurses may be used technology for sharing the educational information with the patient that may help the nurses to overcome the situation of overload of the patient care (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2019). Using the technical skills can give more time for the nurses to take care of themselves. 

It is suggested that the healthcare organizations can integrate a training where the student nurses can get the demo classes that how they can improve their technical skills and implement them in the correct way. They can implement the training in which other senior nurses can give demos and can help them to learn how they can be proficient in the management and execution of the technical skills. They can share their experiences with the new graduate nurses which encourages them to acquire the technical skills (Murray, Sundin & Cope, 2019). Usage of visual aids or observation of the live practice of other nurses may enhance the capability of technical skills of the new nurses. 

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