What are you an "expert" in on your unit? Becoming the "go-to" guy/gal for ...
No one can be an expert in everything but being a professional nurse means finding a specialty and spending your career learning all that you can to advance the delivery of care and promotion of best outcomes. Within all specialties, there are numerous practices, procedures, and topics to learn and master. The purpose of this article is to (a) help you determine your areas of expertise, (b) achieve recognition amongst your team, and (c) advance the standard of care in your setting.
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All nurses begin with a foundation of basic knowledge instilled during nursing school to which we add specialized knowledge in specific area(s) of practice through continuing education and experience. Developing clinical content mastery requires an extensive amount of time, training and practice as well as a personal commitment to lifelong learning. Being recognized as a content expert amongst our peers can be helpful to instill pride in our work, improve patient care, and promote camaraderie amongst healthcare teams. Following these steps, you can begin your path to becoming a content expert and advancing your professional nursing career.
Step I
Take a moment to examine your specialty and make a list of topics, procedures, and practices. After you make a list, pick a few of the items for which you have expertise, interest and a plan to continue with ongoing education.
Take a few minutes to consider these items and make a list (you can write it out or make the list in your head). For example, my specialty areas are emergency department and psychiatric/mental health nursing and so I make lists for each specialty. A list for emergency nursing could include procedures (e.g. IV access in children, burn/wound care, NG tube insertion, urinary catheterization); practices (e.g. triage, physical assessment documentation, behavioral de-escalation); topics (e.g. acute management of COPD exacerbation, opiate overdose, diabetic ketoacidosis). The list of topics goes on and on so if you are struggling for ideas you can check the professional organizations for your practice area (e.g Emergency Nurses Association [ENA] for emergency nursing).
Consider, have you have ever received feedback from your peers that they admire how you complete ABC? Or do they always ask for your opinion on XYZ? If that is the case you should consider add it to your list.
I like to make a list that includes both my psychiatric/mental health and emergency department nursing experience. In my position as a PMH nurse, I am recognized for my knowledge in psychopharmacology, acute management of substance withdrawal (alcohol, anxiolytics/sedatives, and opiates), and psychiatric nursing assessment documentation. In my position as an emergency department nurse, I am recognized for my ability to verbally deescalate agitated/anxious patients, complete an comprehensive triage assessment, document detailed physical assessments, and obtaining difficult IV access (stronger skills with adults and children versus elderly patients).
Step II
Gain recognition as a content expert by identifying your interest in the topic to peers and management/leadership, volunteering to participate on related committees/groups, completing CEU and/or attending workshops/conferences, and offering to assist or teach peers.
So now that you have figured out your topics of expertise, its time to figure out how to gain appropriate recognition. Keep in mind that this is not accomplished instantly, it takes place over time with experience and practice. Begin with completing CEUs, reading journals, attending workshops/conferences, obtaining specialty certifications and share that information with your unit. Speak to your management team to indicate your interest and see if there are opportunities to join a related committee/group or to provide an in-service to other nurses on the unit. It sounds simple but offer and be willing to assist your peers, they may not ask for a lesson but may appreciate your help in completing a task (such as interpreting an EKG).
Don't forget that no one is an expert in everything and no one likes a no-it-all! Make sure that you acknowledge your areas of weakness and seek the guidance of peers who are content experts in these areas.
Step III
Be an advocate for advancing the standard of care/practice in your unit by contributing your content expertise.
Step III is really just a continuation of Step II because it is not enough to simply possess knowledge, but we must share it and then use it to help others. Examine how your unit or setting approaches a particular situation or condition (e.g. initiating cardiac workup in emergent chest pain, successfully obtaining IV access in young children in community/non-trauma center settings) and start a discussion with nursing leadership, clinical education and direct care staff on how to improve existing practices. If you are suggesting any changes in policies or procedures at your office/facility, make sure that you have evidence-based research to support your recommendations.
We have only scratched the surface of this topic but hopefully, it has inspired you to become the "go-to" guy/girl on your unit for content with your nursing specialty!
So allnurses.com readers, tell me what are you a content expert in and how do you maintain that mastery?
