4 Tips to Help Nurses Stay Up to Date

For nurses, staying up to date with advancing technology and rapidly evolving therapies adds a layer of responsibility to an already challenging profession. Whether these professional caregivers find themselves in long-term care settings, on the hospital floor, or in travel assignments across the country, they must remain on the cutting edge of the healthcare world’s fast-paced reality of inevitable change. Providing optimal patient care requires an ongoing process to increase knowledge, acquire additional skills, and become well-versed in new technologies.  

Thanks to an emphasis on continual learning, many opportunities exist to help today’s nurses keep up with the latest advancements. 

Nursing apps

We use apps for everything from buying groceries to paying bills and keeping up with friends and family, so why not use an app(s) to stay up to date with the latest in the world of healthcare? For example, Nursing Central offers information on diseases and drugs and access to Taber’s Medical Dictionary, Davis’s Drug Guide, and MEDLINE Search and Journals. Another app, MedPage Today, features breaking medical news.

Nursing journals and magazines

Whether you choose the printed hard copy, the online version, or utilize a combination of both options, a subscription to one or more nursing journals/magazines can help you stay in the loop. Popular ones include HealthTech Magazine and The American Journal of Nursing (AJN), the world’s largest and oldest nursing journal. Scope out publications focused on specific fields as well. Then, commit to immersing yourself in their content. 

Professional Associations 

Membership in organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) offers a front-row seat to changes in healthcare as they develop. They provide access to continuing education programs that satisfy licensure requirements and offer certification opportunities that further professional competency and advancement for nurses at all levels. Their sister organization, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, promotes advanced training in specialty fields and invests in elevating the image of nursing in healthcare and developing the next generation of nurse leaders.

Ears and eyes tuned toward opportunities 

Being a lifelong learner involves an ongoing commitment to look for opportunities to grow in knowledge and skills. Nurturing one’s innate curiosity to explore different nursing areas and seek fresh experiences will open new doors of opportunity. In addition, allowing space for questions like “Why?” and “What if . . . ” will challenge nurses to expand their perspective and help their mindset to remain relevant.

Practical ways to accomplish these goals include—

• Shadowing a nurse in a different specialty.
• “Floating” to other units to broaden your horizons and explore potential opportunities.
• Seeking a mentor or volunteering to be a mentor.
• Networking at facility functions, community events, conferences—anywhere healthcare professionals congregate—always scoping out new, different, skill-and-mind-expanding opportunities. 

Opportunities abound for nurses who commit to staying abreast of the latest technology and treatment advancements. Interested in new opportunities? Join the LeaderStat Network today.