Nurse Communication Skills: A Student’s Guide
An academic guide on therapeutic communication, SBAR, teach-back, and patient safety.
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What Are Nurse Communication Skills?
In nursing, communication is not a “soft skill”—it is a core clinical competency. Nurse communication skills are evidence-based techniques used to build therapeutic relationships, ensure patient safety, and provide effective education.
I remember my first clinical, my hands shaking. I was terrified of making a mistake. My preceptor didn’t just teach me how to do an IV; she taught me how to *talk* to the patient *while* I was doing it. “Hi, Mr. Jones, my name is…, I’m here to… This will be a small pinch.” That’s when I learned: clear, empathetic communication is the bridge between your technical skill and the patient’s trust. For your nursing assignments, proving you understand this bridge is key.
Why Communication is a Safety Imperative
This is the “macro context”—the big picture. Communication failures are consistently one of the leading root causes of medical errors. Your paper must frame this as a patient safety issue.
1. Patient Safety & Medical Errors
Poor communication during a patient handoff or in a medication order can lead to adverse events. Your role as a nurse is to be a safety net. Structured tools like SBAR are a core part of a ‘culture of safety’.
2. Patient Outcomes & Adherence
Do patients take their medications? Do they understand their discharge instructions? This depends on your communication. Effective patient education (using teach-back) is directly linked to better health outcomes and lower readmission rates.
3. The Therapeutic Relationship
This is the foundation of patient-centered care. Trust is built through empathy and active listening. A strong therapeutic relationship is a clinical tool that encourages patients to be honest about their symptoms, leading to more accurate assessments. As a study on nurse-patient relationships states, this bond is central to the patient’s experience of quality care.
Key Communication Models & Frameworks
This is the “contextual border”—the specific, evidence-based tools you must know for your exams and case studies. You don’t just “talk”; you use these frameworks.
SBAR: For Clinician-to-Clinician Handoffs
This is the most important tool for intra-professional safety. SBAR is a structured way to communicate critical information, removing ambiguity. You use it when calling a doctor or giving a shift report.
- S – Situation: “What is happening right now?” (e.g., “Mr. Smith in 302 has new-onset chest pain.”)
- B – Background: “What is the relevant context?” (e.g., “He is 65, 2 days post-op, with a history of hypertension.”)
- A – Assessment: “What do I think the problem is?” (e.g., “His vital signs are unstable. I am concerned about an acute MI.”)
- R – Recommendation: “What do I need from you?” (e.g., “I need you to come to the bedside immediately.”)
Therapeutic Communication: For Patient-Centered Rapport
This is your primary tool for building trust. It’s patient-centered and non-judgmental. Key techniques you must discuss in your assignments include:
- Active Listening: Giving your full attention. Nodding, leaning in, and facing the patient.
- Using Silence: Intentionally pausing to allow the patient to gather their thoughts.
- Reflecting/Paraphrasing: “So what I hear you saying is, you’re afraid of the test results.” This validates their feeling.
- Using Open-Ended Questions: “Tell me more about your pain,” instead of “Does your pain hurt?”
- Clarifying: “I’m not sure I follow. Can you explain what you mean by ‘dizzy’?”
These skills are fundamental to psychology and mental health nursing.
The ‘Teach-Back’ Method: For Patient Education
This is the gold standard for patient education and a core part of Evidence-Based Practice. It is *not* a test of the patient, but a test of how well *you* explained something.
- Wrong way (Yes/No): “Do you understand how to take your insulin?” (Patient nods yes, but may not understand).
- Right Way (Teach-Back): “We’ve gone over a lot. To make sure I was clear, can you show me how you will draw up your 10 units of insulin?”
This loop (explain, ask, listen, re-explain) is proven to reduce errors and improve adherence. As a 2024 analysis of patient-centered communication confirms, tools like teach-back are critical for empowering patients and improving health outcomes.
How We Help With Communication Assignments
This is the “micro context”—how our expert writers apply these concepts to the exact assignments you’re given.
1. Case Study & Care Plans
Your Task: A patient is non-compliant and hostile.
Our Model: We write a model case study that analyzes the *reason* for the hostility (e.g., fear, lack of understanding). We create a care plan with the NANDA-I diagnosis “Impaired Communication” and provide a script of therapeutic questions.
2. Reflective Journals (Gibbs/Driscoll)
Your Task: “Reflect on a time you had a communication breakdown.”
Our Model: We write a professional reflection using the Gibbs model: We describe the event, analyze what went wrong (e.g., “I used medical jargon”), and create an action plan (“In the future, I will use the teach-back method…”).
3. EBP Papers on Communication
Your Task: A PICO question paper on communication.
Our Model: We write a full EBP paper on a topic like, “In OR nurses (P), does implementing SBAR (I) vs. standard handoff (C) reduce patient errors (O)?”
Meet Your Nursing & Healthcare Experts
Our team includes BSN, MSN, and DNP-prepared writers who understand clinical communication.
Julia Muthoni, MSN, BSN, RN
Lead Nursing Specialist
Julia is an expert in therapeutic communication and nursing care plans. Her MSN background makes her ideal for analyzing case studies, reflective journals, and SBAR implementation.
Simon Njeri, MA (Econ & Sociology)
Health Policy & Ethics Specialist
Simon handles the “big picture” essays on health literacy, patient advocacy, cultural competency, and the policy implications of poor communication in healthcare.
Stephen Kanyi, MSc (Biology)
EBP & Research Specialist
Stephen is our expert for Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) papers. He can conduct the literature review and appraisal for your PICO question on communication interventions.
Benson Muthuri, MBA
Nurse Leadership & Admin Specialist
Benson is our expert for MSN and DNP papers on nurse leadership, patient safety, and implementing quality improvement (QI) projects related to communication.
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Nurse Communication FAQs
Q: What is therapeutic communication?
A: Therapeutic communication is a professional, goal-oriented, and patient-centered form of communication. It uses techniques like active listening, silence, reflecting, and clarifying to build trust, understand the patient’s perspective, and help them overcome emotional or psychological distress.
Q: What is SBAR communication in nursing?
A: SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation. It is a structured framework used by nurses and other clinicians to communicate critical information clearly and concisely, especially during patient handoffs, to ensure patient safety and reduce medical errors.
Q: What is the ‘teach-back’ method?
A: The teach-back method is a health literacy tool where a nurse asks a patient to explain, in their own words, what they need to know or do. This is not a test of the patient, but a test of how well the nurse explained the information. It is proven to improve patient understanding and adherence.
Q: How does nurse communication impact patient safety?
A: Communication failures are a leading root cause of medical errors. Poor communication during patient handoffs (SBAR) or in patient education (Teach-Back) can lead to medication errors, missed diagnoses, or poor adherence. Clear communication is a cornerstone of a safe healthcare system.
Excel in Your Communication Assignments
From a reflective journal on therapeutic communication to an EBP paper on SBAR, your assignments are complex. Our team of BSN and MSN-qualified writers is here to provide the expert academic support you need to succeed.
