Nurses have to continuously upgrade themselves with the knowledge and skills required in the nursing practice to give the best health care. There are ten competencies which are regarded important for the improvement in nursing practice and these are leadership, communication, professionalism, teamwork and collaboration, patient-centered care, information and technology, safety, systems based practice, evidence based practice and quality improvement.
The two nursing core competencies which are important for my nursing career are patient-centered care and evidence-based practice as according to Knebel, E., et al (2003), there are five overlapping core competencies which are needed by the healthcare professionals for the health care systems in the 21st century.
It deals with the way a person is treated while receiving healthcare and highlights the healthcare rights of a person because he has to be treated with respect and dignity. Patient-centered care also entails that the patient has to be involved in the taking decisions about their health. Shaller, D. (2007) have given the eight principles of patient-centered care which were identified by the researchers on behalf of the Picker Institute.
Providing patient-centered care can bring an improvement in the health status of the patient according to Lewin et al (2001). According to Wagner et al (2001), the patients who are involved in taking the decisions about their health are found to have better outcomes and a higher functional status.
It is defined by the Baker (2001) as a conscientious and problem solving approach in clinical practice which involves the best evidence derived from well-researched studies, preferences and values of patience’s and the expertise of clinicians for making decision about the care of the patient. It is important as a health care professional to have knowledge of evidence-based practice so that best health practices are promoted and any misuse, overuse and underuse of healthcare can be avoided according to Chassin (1998).