Patient Care Experience: The Importance of Working at the Bedside

Gaining direct patient care experience is a crucial step for nurses who want to develop the skills necessary to provide high-quality nursing care. By working with patients directly, nurses can learn the unique needs of individual patients and how to tailor their care accordingly. Nurses also can learn how to more effectively convey information, build trust, and actively involve patients in their health care decisions.

Not only does direct patient interaction help nurses hone their clinical skills, it also can help them cultivate empathy so they can provide holistic, compassionate care to their patients.

Alongside patient care experience, a graduate education can equip nurses interested in becoming advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with an expanded knowledge base, high-level clinical competencies, and exceptional critical thinking capabilities, enabling them to become leaders in the field.

Patient care experience, or clinical experience, refers to health care professionals directly assuming responsibility for the well-being and treatment of patients. In the context of nursing, this is sometimes referred to as bedside nursing. Unlike other aspects of health care practice that focus on collaborative decision-making and treatment planning, patient care experience places nurses in direct contact with patients, allowing them to administer hands-on care and develop a deep understanding of patients’ needs.

Gaining patient care experience is a foundational element of APRN education and training. This experience allows them to hone the necessary skills and competencies required for advanced nursing practice. Through their direct involvement in patient care, nurses can refine their clinical skills, such as in assessing vital signs, administering medication, and carrying out treatments.

Patient care experience also provides nurses with opportunities to learn how to forge meaningful connections with patients. By directly interacting with patients, listening to their concerns, and attending to their needs, nurses develop essential interpersonal skills crucial for establishing trust and rapport. These skills can improve nurses’ ability to provide holistic, patient-centered, high-value care.

For nurses, gaining patient care experience is beneficial in building essential technical skills, such as skills required to monitor patients’ vital signs, assess their conditions, and implement treatment plans. These hands-on experiences enable nurses to navigate the complexities of patient care with confidence and competence.

Patient care experience is also integral in shaping a nurse’s interpersonal skills, such as the ability to convey empathy and communicate information. Through direct interaction with patients, nurses can hone their communication abilities to be able to better convey medical information to patients, assess their concerns, and address any misconceptions or fears they may have about their treatment options, which can help improve the experience for the patient and can often result in improved health outcomes.

Direct experience also helps nurses develop an empathetic approach to patient care and recognize the importance of providing holistic care that goes beyond medical interventions. Empathy fosters trust and facilitates effective collaboration between nurses and their patients, enhancing patients’ satisfaction as well as adherence to their treatment plans.

Working directly with patients will also help nurses understand the diversity of patients in terms of both their backgrounds and their health issues, allowing them to improve health equity for patients.

Patient care experience is a significant component of the curriculum in many advanced nursing programs. The clinical experience provided in these programs allows students to apply the theoretical knowledge they gained in the classroom in real-world health care settings under the guidance of experienced professionals, which helps bridge their academic learning and clinical practice.

One way aspiring advanced practice nurses can get clinical experience is by shadowing APRNs in a range of clinical settings. Shadowing allows aspiring APRNs to observe and learn from experienced professionals in different health care settings, where they can witness the complexities of clinical decision-making, patient interactions, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This exposure can provide them with insights into APRNs’ roles and responsibilities and the skills required as part of advanced clinical practice.

Additionally, internships and research opportunities in health care settings offer practical experiences that allow aspiring APRNs to work alongside health care professionals and actively participate in patient care or contribute to research studies. These opportunities can provide a comprehensive understanding of the health care system while fostering the development of crucial advanced practice skills.

Volunteer opportunities are also available at many facilities, although availability for mentorship may vary by location.

For those seeking to become an APRN, obtaining patient care experience should be a top priority. By immersing themselves in clinical settings, aspiring APRNs can deepen their understanding of the complexities of health care delivery and gain firsthand knowledge of the challenges and rewards of direct patient care.

Nurses looking to advance their careers should also consider the benefits of enrolling in Regis College’s online BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice program. This program offers students the opportunity to specialize their education based on their career goals and interests, with multiple nurse practitioner (NP) concentrations, including pediatric NP, psychiatric mental health NP, and women’s health NP specializations. The program curriculum builds on the foundational knowledge students gained through their BSN degree program, while also offering hundreds of hours of clinical practice in a supervised preceptorship, with students typically completing around 600 hours, depending on their concentration.

Discover how you can directly impact patients’ lives for the better with Regis College.