Nurses relay information all day long. They talk to patients, to families, to physicians, to management, and to each other constantly to learn new things and to share what they know.
But if you find others constantly seeking you out for certain information – for instance do you have a special skill with computers that makes your unit run well or do you have extensive knowledge about a certain condition? If your colleagues come to you frequently, you might want to consider sharing your knowledge in a more formal way. Not only will you help others, but it’s a great career move that makes you more comfortable with public speaking, enhances your leadership, and helps educate others so they can also add to their knowledge.
How can you share your knowledge?
1. Host a Lunch Class at Work
Holding a lunchtime talk or seminar at work fills a dual purpose. You can help your colleagues and that benefits your organization overall. You can be very informal about it and just let people know you’d like to get together to talk about how to prevent falls in the elderly, for example. Or you can make it more formal and book a conference area or meeting room.
2. Bring Your Know-How to Your Community
People who don’t work in the medical industry are always looking for information from people who are. As a nurse, you have the authority to help people, and they know you’ll give them accurate information. Offer to host a talk at your local library or senior center about nutrition for babies or staying active as a senior.
3. Head Back to School
Offer to go into a school if your specialty is adolescent health or you have great advice to offer about managing stress the healthy way. No matter what your specialty as a nurse, you can bring your career advice to any level school to talk about what a nurse does, your typical day, and the training you need. This is a great way to encourage the next generation of nurses!
4. Mentor Your Younger Colleagues
Offer to help your new coworkers review for any exams or certifications. Hold a series of after-work review sessions for a group of new nurses. Even just a couple of hours showing them good study tips and techniques can help them succeed and helps you polish your mentorship skills.
No matter where you host your talk, prepare ahead of time so you can use your time efficiently. Have an outline of what you want to say and do a couple of run throughs. It’s a good idea to have a handout or two to give your attendees some information to bring home.
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