STILWELL, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent U.S. survey* reveals that nurse managers (80 percent) are seeking graduates with professional, informatics, communication and leadership skills while nearly all (98 percent) of practicing nurses report wanting more education and training in these areas. The survey audiences included practicing nurses, nurse managers, and recent hospital inpatients and those accompanying them.
The gap in nursing skills and education is reflecting in patient satisfaction. Sixty-six percent of recent hospital inpatients, or those accompanying them, feel their hospital experience could have been improved by better interactions with nurses.
“It is not surprising that nurses have a significant impact on the patient experience, as well as those accompanying patients. The survey findings demonstrate how great a role the nurse plays and skill gaps that might improve interactions with patients and their loved ones,” said Sheryl Sommer, director of nursing education and curriculum at ATI Nursing Education.
Recent patients, and those with them at the hospital, specifically noted improved communication by the nurse could have enhanced their experience. Communication is an example of how professional and interpersonal skills are gaining attention in the field of nursing and nursing education. These skills include professionalism, communication, informatics and technology, and leadership and management.
“Nurses require a special set of skills to provide safe, quality nursing care. While historically not the focus of nursing education programs, skills such as communication, are critical to improving provider outcomes, lowering healthcare costs and improving the patient experience,” said Sommer.
In August, ATI Nursing Education will release Nurse’s Touch™, the first education product of its kind to address professional and interpersonal skills content. Nurse educators and students will benefit from its interactive simulators, tutorials, case studies, and practice and proctored assessments, while receiving direct support from the faculty support team at ATI Nursing Education. The content areas covered include:
- Professional Communication
- Wellness and Self-care
- Becoming a Professional Nurse
- Nursing Informatics and Technology
- Leadership and Management
“After hearing from our Nurse Educator Advisory Board and researching the gap in the industry, we worked with nurse educators, curriculum developers and psychometricians to develop Nurse’s Touch,” Sommer said. “We look forward to introducing nurse educators to the product to enhance their current curriculum, benefit students and ultimately improve the patient experience.”
In addition to providing content, Nurse’s Touch also allows educators to measure, assess and track students’ progress. The associated reporting information monitors student growth and can be a resource to assist with documentation for accreditation.
For more information on Nurse’s Touch, visit www.atinursestouch.com or view videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/ATINursingEducation. You also can read the recently published white paper: “Soft Skills Research: Aligning Nurse’s Touch with Best Practices.”
Additional survey highlights include recently hospitalized patients and those accompanying them reported:
- 95 percent say that nurses impacted their hospital experience and more than half said the impact was significant
- 34 percent felt better communication from nurses could have made their experience better while 33 percent felt more concern/caring from nurses could have made their experience better
Nurses reported:
- 82 percent of practicing nurses did not feel completely prepared for the day-to-day work of being a nurse when they graduate from nursing school
-
98 percent wished they had received more education and training in
soft skills before they began working
- 46 percent wished they’d had more training in informatics
- 43 percent wished they’d had more training in work/life balance and personal care/wellness
- 38 percent wished they’d had more training in leadership skills
- 26 percent wished they’d had more training in communication
*The surveys were conducted by a third-party research group, Research Solutions, LLC, and commissioned by ATI Nursing Education during March and April 2012.
ATI Nursing Education, a division of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC, is the leading provider of online learning programs that are instrumental in improving faculty effectiveness and student and program outcomes in nursing schools across the country. Currently the company works with more than 20,000 nurse educators, approximately 2,100 colleges and universities nationwide, and over 225,000 students. ATI Nursing Education has played a role in helping more than 1 million students pass the NCLEX, the U.S. nursing licensing exam. ATI Nursing Education is an Ascend Learning company. Founded in 2010, Ascend Learning provides technology-based educational, curriculum and assessment solutions for healthcare and other professional industries. For more information, visit http://www.ascendlearning.com/companies/ati-nursing/.