Top Skills Healthcare Workers Need in 2024

With the healthcare landscape constantly changing, healthcare professionals are needing to learn to adapt as well. With patient loads increasing, and overall staff shortages increasing - the ability to be efficient and effective in your role is becoming increasingly important. 

   Some of the skills that can help healthcare professionals increase their efficiency and efficacy are:

• Clinical Skills Mastery
  • Depending on your specialty and role, you may need to regularly perform clinical skills such as Phlebotomy, IV Placement and Maintenance, Wound Care Management, Medication Management, BLS, Mechanical Ventilation Management, etc. 
  • Your ability to perform these procedures efficiently and effectively will determine the trajectory of your shift. I am sure most healthcare professionals can recall a procedure that took longer than normal or did not go as plan, and how that completely destroyed upended their entire shift. It is not to say that these things will never happen, but the more we can improve these skills, the easier our job can become. And the more enjoyable!
  • Ways we can improve our clinical skills:
    • Reach out to your education department for further training as necessary. That is what they are there for! 
    • If you do not have an education department, seek online services and courses or virtual coaching:
      • Phlebotomy Skills 101
      • Virtual Coaching
    • Speak with your manager and see if they are able to guide you with the resources they have available. 
    • Seek out training programs at local colleges and universities. 
    • Speak with your coworkers! Do any of your coworkers excel in these skills? Would they be willing to help or at least give you some pointers? 
• Digital Literacy
  • EHR Management and Efficiency
    • We are well past the point of paper charting now (well, at least hopefully for most places)...and technology may not always be the strong suit of a healthcare professional...especially those that have been around for a while. 
    • Navigating the EHR system and being able to chart quickly is crucial for so many reasons:
      • Less time at your computer and more time with your patients 
      • Being able to leave work on time and not have to stay late to chart 
      • Charting quickly in real time reduces the risk of you forgetting something - which in the long run protects you legally! 
      • Less frustration! I think everyone has felt that level of frustration when technology is the one thing making your job more challenging rather than easier.
  • Cybersecurity Awareness
    • With cyber attacks on the rise - it is crucial for all healthcare professionals to be hypervigilant with cybersecurity. Who knows - your accidental click on that spam email can be the one click that causes your entire hospital system EHR system to be shut down...maybe I am exaggerating...or maybe this is also totally possible...
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
  • Empathy and Emotional Intelligence - with stress and strain increasing in the healthcare environment, it has become easier and easier for healthcare professionals to lose sight of the empathy and emotional intelligence. When you are overloaded with too many patients, too many tasks to complete - you might experience horse blinders and lose sight of the most important part of our job - actually caring for our patients. 
  • What does this have to do with efficiency and efficacy - when we communicate well and with empathy, this is effective for both our communication with our patients and our coworkers.
    • Patients - empathetic and effective communication with our patients can ensure we fully understand our patients needs and we can become more precise with our care. We also develop a relationship of trust with our patients and this has a huge impact on their overall care. 
    • Coworkers - empathetic and effective communication with our coworkers allows us to be a more efficient and effective team! We have to communicate well together in order to get through both acute and non-acute situations of care. This will also ensure that no thing or no one falls through the cracks and all information is appropriately communicated to the right people at the right time. 
• Adaptability and Lifelong Learning
  • Between constantly changing technology, staffing troubles, and endless hurdles being experienced in our healthcare system right now - if there is anything healthcare professionals need to be, it is adaptable. The more we can adapt to the changing environment, the more effective and efficient we can be. 
  • Every year there are major changes occurring in healthcare policy, procedures, and regulations. Therefore, we also have to be committed to continuous learning. Becoming set in our ways is not only inefficient, but can also be harmful to our patients. When we know better, we should do better. A mindset of growth and progress in healthcare is just as important as any other skill. 

This is just a short list of skills that healthcare professionals need in order to be efficient and effective in their roles. The full extent of the list could go on for pages and pages. Therefore, be kind towards your healthcare professionals! They have a lot on their plate and they are doing their best.