For employees who want to successfully establish themselves in the labour market, professional knowledge alone is often not enough. This is also evidenced by the World Economic Forum’s identification of the 10 most necessary skills for employees last year, among which creativity, analytical thinking, motivation, etc. occupy a significant place.
Representatives of the largest private medical service provider in Lithuania, InMedica Group, the leading private surgical clinic in the Baltic States, Nordclinic, and Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) emphasise that the competencies of a modern medical worker include not only medical knowledge and reveal the five most important skills necessary for healthcare workers who want to work successfully in this field.
1. Empathy and active listening.
Ilona Stonienė, HR Manager at InMedica Group, notes that medical staff must understand the patient’s emotions and feelings and empathise with their situation: ‘They must take care not only of the patient’s physical health but also of their emotional well-being. This often creates a stronger doctor-patient bond.’
Rasa Laurinavičiūtė, Senior General Practice Nurse at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at Nordclinic, notes that empathy is considered an important part of everyday nursing practice. She points out that the ability to empathise and understand another person’s needs and feelings (pain, anxiety, suffering) is a significant trait of a medical professional.
‘Smooth mutual communication enriches and helps ensure quality care. Nurses, as healthcare professionals, have the opportunity to spend a lot of time communicating with patients. Not all conversations are easy – sometimes conversations can be difficult for both the nurse and the patient. Empathy enables nurses to understand why the patient reacts to their health problems in one way or another and what they are striving for in this way,’ shares R. Laurinavičiūtė, a representative of the Kauno kolegija HEI Internship and Career Days company partner.
Dr Viktorija Piščalkienė, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Kauno kolegija HEI, also emphasises the importance of empathy and active listening for those working in the medical field. She notes that this trait is especially important for nurses, as it allows them to look at the patient from a holistic perspective and thus understand the emotional and physical needs of those suffering.
‘Empathy encourages the nurse to create a trusting relationship with the patient, which helps to reduce the patient’s negative feelings, such as anxiety and fears, which patients experience quite a lot when suffering from various diseases. By actively listening, the nurse understands the patients’ expressed feelings more deeply and what message the patients are sending us. Very often, patients trust nurses more, are more open with them than with doctors, and feel less of a barrier when communicating,’ shares Dr V. Piščalkienė.
She adds that empathy and listening are essential parts of effective teamwork, as it is extremely important to listen to and take into account the opinions of all its members to achieve a common result in teamwork.
2. Technological literacy.
I. Stonienė notes that technology plays an increasingly important role in the modern healthcare system, therefore the ability to work with medical information systems is necessary to ensure information accuracy, efficiency, and patient safety.
According to Dr V. Piščalkienė, the use of technology is very important in the work of nurses today, as it helps ensure more efficient and safer patient care.
‘Even 10 years ago, paper outpatient cards, inpatient medical histories, nursing documentation, referrals for consultations with doctors, and prescriptions for medicines were widely implemented. Today, a nurse without basic technological literacy skills would not be able to work in any healthcare institution,’ Dr V. Piščalkienė emphasises the importance of technological literacy.
She points out that digital competencies are needed when monitoring a patient’s critical conditions based on objective parameters, assessing their condition, performing diagnostic procedures, and laboratory tests, administering medication prescriptions, planning and preparing for surgeries, and in various other clinical cases.
‘We can be proud of the development of information technologies in improving healthcare for people of all ages with disabilities. As an exceptional case, I would like to mention assistive technologies based on targeted apps needed for communication with people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorders,’ says the Associate Professor at Kauno kolegija HEI.
Dr V. Piščalkienė adds that Lithuania is already not far behind other Western countries in terms of the number of immigrants whose native language is not Lithuanian. Many, especially older nurses, have poor English skills, so the use of language interpreters as an auxiliary means of communication can improve the quality of nursing services provided.
3. Analytical thinking.
More than 70 per cent of companies surveyed believe that creative thinking and analytical thinking are the skills that will grow in importance the most between 2023 and 2027, according to a Statista study that surveyed 11.3 million employees from 803 organisations worldwide.
I. Stonienė, HR Manager at InMedica Group, which unites more than 3,500 employees, notes that analytical thinking is one of the most important skills. It helps healthcare professionals make quick and accurate decisions when assessing patients’ conditions.
‘A doctor must be able to quickly assess symptoms, understand their possible causes, and make a decision on the diagnosis and treatment plan,’ says I. Stonienė, a representative of the Kauno kolegija HEI Internship and Career Days company partner.
4. Motivation and self-awareness.
Salvina Bagdonienė, Senior General Practice Nurse at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department at Nordclinic, emphasises that a motivated employee will ensure the quality of work results and participate in teamwork.
‘When external motivation is combined with internal motivation, the best work results are achieved. Internal motivation, arising from a person’s interests, values, and goals, is the strongest,’ shares S. Bagdonienė.
She points out that self-awareness is also very important for medical personnel: ‘It is necessary to properly assess yourself, your relationship with the environment, the results of your actions, to hear feedback and based on it to change, to change the quality of your work. This is a condition that ensures improvement.’
According to S. Bagdonienė, it is natural that motivation and self-awareness go hand in hand – a conscious person will often find sources of motivation both in his personal life and at work.
‘I can give an example of how operating room nurses are motivated to love their work, value their contribution and deepen their professional knowledge: a lecture on innovations in surgical sutures with a practical part is organised. Nurses and other employees will have the opportunity to practise, using real surgical instruments and using surgical sutures that have already been delivered. The surgeon will share knowledge with colleagues and evaluate the tests performed,’ says S. Bagdonienė.
Dr V. Piščalkienė agrees, noting that motivation and independence are necessary for a modern nurse due to the expanded competencies of their activities, regulated by medical standards. Only motivated and independent nurses, according to her, can respond to patients’ health challenges in a timely and effective manner and make independent decisions, especially in complex situations.
‘These qualities help ensure better work planning and efficiency, thereby reducing the risk of errors. Motivated nurses are more open to acquiring new professional knowledge and implementing it in nursing practice, and to closer cooperation with other members of the healthcare team. Motivation is also an important factor in preventing burnout syndrome, which is particularly pronounced among nurses in Lithuania,’ shares Dr V. Piščalkienė.
5. Dependability and attention to detail.
Aušra Lazauskienė, Senior General Practise Nurse of the Orthopaedics and Bariatrics Department at Nordclinic, says that reliability and attention to detail are very important aspects of nursing, as they determine the safety and comfort of patients.
‘Patients and their relatives must feel that they can rely on the nurse’s competence and responsibility, that the nurse will perform tasks without errors, follow instructions and ethical principles. Reliability requires not only professional skills but also the nurse’s personal responsibility,’ shares A. Lazauskienė.
She emphasises that attention to detail is one of the most important factors, as even the smallest mistake can have serious consequences. A nurse must be able to assess every detail of a patient’s condition, monitor vital signs, collect accurate information about health complaints, accurately fill out documentation, and follow all hygiene and procedural requirements.
‘Attention to detail prevents possible complications, ensures the smooth course and quality of diagnosis and treatment, and helps strengthen patient confidence,’ adds A. Lazauskienė.
