Personal Qualities That Will Help Increase Your LVN Pay
Attending one of the accredited LVN programs is essential in preparing you for the clinical skills required to succeed in nursing. However, there are a few qualities which can help you excel in this exciting career that you won’t find being taught in the classroom.
These traits may have a direct impact on your career advancement and the LVN salary you earn. These skills can also help you become a more effective employee within the healthcare environment and to make the job more enjoyable along the way.
Think about the last time you went to your physician’s office for an exam. Were you thrilled to be there? Were you looking forward to having your blood taken? How about getting prepped for that dreaded colonoscopy?!? No, you probably didn’t have this exam at the top of the places you really wanted to be that day.
And most patients feel the same way. For the Licensed Vocational Nurse, there is an opportunity to help make patients feel relaxed and comfortable. This may be simply by making small talk, asking questions, and employing a pleasant and relaxing bedside manner.
Good people skills are essential to a successful career as a vocational nurse. These skills are also often referred to “soft skills”.
Athough these soft skills come naturally to some nurses, others may have to make a conscious effort to make a personal connection with their patient. So, it pays to put in the time to learn to see things from the perspective of the patient.
Effective communication is absolutely critical to the role that an LVN plays within the healthcare system. There are several points throughout any medical treatment process where skilled communication is required. First, the nurse is the primary patient educator for the medical facility. One of the most important roles that nurses will fill within a hospital is that of teaching patients proper post hospital care and informing them about the procedures that will be completed during the medical procedure itself.
The second point where communication plays an important role for the LVN is in communicating with the physician regarding the patient’s medical procedure. The licensed nurse will take the patient’s initial vital signs and then discuss any findings with the doctor. The initial vital signs are used by the doctor during her/his consultation with the patient. Effectively communicating with the medical doctor is an important step in successfully completing patient exams.
The ability to multi-task effectively seems to very often be a skill that we are adapting to more and more as the demands in our lives increase and our time becomes more limited. The ability to move from one task to another fluidly and while maintaining focus is an important trait for a Licensed Vocational Nurse to have.
Nursing programs usually assist with teaching these guidelines. These programs must also be accredited by the state. All 7 LVN programs in Bakersfield are properly accredited.
Again, while these key personality traits may not have a direct bearing on the LVN salary or the opportunity to advance within the career, they can really help you stand out in the profession. By focusing on personal qualities, a nurse’s pay will most likely increase over time.
Getting along well with coworkers and subordinates makes a good impression on the hospital’s management team. When it comes time for your annual employment evaluation, it’s a good bet that your manager will keep in mind how well your communication, multi-tasking, and great people skills affects your job performance.