Laura
Discussion
The work environment that nurses care in often involves stressful and emotionally charged settings which makes emotional intelligence (EI) a vital skill to have in nursing practice. A large amount of nurses’ interaction with patients and their family members who are experiencing fear, anxiety, or grief. Because of that, EI is crucial in the management of these interactions. EI helps nurses not just to perceive and process their own emotions, but to detect and react to the feelings of others, improving 0/29/2024patient care, as well as the working environment. For example, in clinical settings, studies find that nurses who have higher EI levels do a better job, are more empathetic, and less likely to be burned out (Faria et al., 2019).
Clinical judgment, critical thinking, and decision making are interrelated, but separate aspects of nursing practice. Clinical judgment is the nurse’s ability to evaluate such patient assessments and make decisions taking into consideration clinical evidence and observations. Critical thinking takes it a step further allowing nurses to objectively evaluate information, question assumptions and consider alternative points of view. These skills are used to practice decision making, that is in patient care, nurses choose what actions to take. Such processes are made more efficient by emotional intelligence, that is, through increased self-awareness and an ability to cope with emotional stress, which are essential for cognition in clinical settings (White & Grason, 2019).
Bedside nurses and advanced practice nurses (APNs) are different in their decision-making processes. Rapid decisions are often made by bedside nurses during acute care situations as they manage a post-surgery distressed patient. This is where emotional intelligence comes in — seeing the patient's anxiety and giving both physical and emotional comfort. However, by contrast, APNs make more complex decisions, often in consideration for long term care planning of chronic conditions. For example, if an APN is managing a diabetic patient, they must account for the emotional aspects of a sustainable care plan in a way that promotes having the patient slowly make lifestyle changes (White & Grason, 2019).
For someone who is not familiar with emotional intelligence, it can be described as one’s ability to recognize, understand and regulate his own emotions and also recognize, understand and regulate other people’s emotions. It’s not just being empathetic — it’s about having skills like self-regulation, motivation, relationship management. For nursing, EI is critical as it improves patient care, promotes health team dynamics, and helps nurses deal with the emotional burdens of performing their profession (Belay & Kassie, 2021).
In conclusion, both bedside and advanced nursing practices emphasize the importance of emotional intelligence as it enhances patient care, strengthens clinical judgments and enhances good decision making. Nurses can develop emotional intelligence which helps to raise patient satisfaction, lower personal burnout and support a more caring and effective practice environment.
