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Transcript

Soft Skill: Dependability

Introduction

As you embark on your journey through college and start contemplating your future career, it’s crucial to recognise the significance of soft skills. Among these, dependability stands out as a key trait that can greatly enhance your career success and personal growth. Being dependable is essential in any professional setting and can set you apart as a reliable and trustworthy individual.

What is Dependability?

Conclusion

Types of Dependability

Why Dependability is Crucial for Your Career

Developing Your Dependability Skills

Learning Objectives

Using Bloom's Taxonomy, the learning objectives for this 'Dependable Scheduling' activity, which reinforces 'dependability' as a soft skill, can be categorised as follows:By following these learning objectives, you will be reinforcing the importance of dependability as a Nurse, understanding its impact on day-to-day scheduling and time management.

Creating

Evaluating

Understanding

Analysing

Applying

Remembering

Soft Skill: Activity

Dependable Scheduling. This activity will develop the soft skill 'dependability' through creating a daily schedule that includes typical activities a nurse may encounter during a workday.

Materials Needed:

  • Paper, pen
  • A device for timing (like a mobile phone or watch).

Preparation (5 mins): On a piece of paper, list down all activities that a typical nurse might do on a regular workday. Include both professional and personal tasks, such as pre-round preparation, patient consultations, paperwork, breaks, housecleaning, hobbies and exercises.Planning (10 mins): Create a schedule, assigning each task a specific time slot within a 24-hour day. Remember, nursing is often a round-the-clock profession, and your schedule must take into consideration shifts, breaks, and personal time.Execution (10 mins): Now, play out this schedule in real time, but in speed mode! For instance, if an activity is scheduled for 1 hour, in this exercise, you will enact or role play it for 1 minute. If private consultation is for 30 minutes, role play it for 30 seconds, and so on. Use your device to keep time.Reflection (5 mins): Reflect on how it felt to strictly follow a schedule. Were certain tasks completed more rapidly than expected? Did any take longer than planned? Note down observations about what was easy to follow and what was tough. Consider how dependability plays a key role in ensuring schedules are adhered to in a real-world nursing context.

Expected Outcome:

Through this activity, you develop an understanding of 'dependability' as a nurse. It forces you to consider responsibilities, prioritise tasks, and adhere to a plan - all of which are crucial components of being dependable.

Model Answers

Here is a representative simulation of how the activity ‘Dependable Scheduling’ could be completed...

Task 1: Remembering - Identify Key Activities (5 minutes)

  • Morning patient assessment
  • Administering medication
  • Updating patient records
  • Communicating with doctors
  • Break/Meal times
  • Attending to patient visitors.
  • Night duty patient surveillance
Task 2: Understanding - Importance of Scheduling (5 minutes) Nurses work in a fast-paced environment, dealing with patients of varying health needs. Time management and strict schedule adherence can ensure that all patients are attended to without delay, medications are administered on time, and no crucial medical or administrative task is overlooked.

Task 3: Applying - Create a 24-hour Schedule (10 minutes) 24-Hour Schedule:

  • 0600-0700 - Morning patient assessment
  • 0700-0800 - Administering medication
  • 0800-0900 - Updating patient records
  • 0900-1000 - Communicating with doctors
  • 1000-1030 - Break Time
  • 1030-1200- Attending patients
  • 1200-1300 - Lunch Break
  • 1300-1500 - Attending patients
  • 1500-1530 - Break Time
  • 1530-1800 - Updating patient records and handover notes
  • 1800-1900 - Dinner Break
  • 1900-0600 - Night duty patient surveillance

Task 4: Analysing - Execution and Differentiation (5 minutes) After execution, tasks like attending to patients and updating patient records were time-demanding tasks. Breaks were shorter than anticipated due to the demanding tasks.Task 5: Evaluating - Assessing the Schedule (3 minutes)Despite time overruns, the critical tasks were completed, showcasing the dependability of the schedule. However, a more realistic break-time allotment and additional time for administration can improve the schedule’s efficiency.Task 6: Creating - Alternative Schedules (2 minutes) An alternative schedule could be created that allows more time for administrative tasks and break times, ensuring the nurse can operate efficiently without risking burnout. For example, 'communicating with doctors' could be integrated within 'attending patients' as these tasks usually go hand in hand.

Well done!

You have completed this soft skills activity. We hope you have enjoyed the programme and picked up some new skills and information!

To develop your dependability skills, focus on building strong responsibility, reliability, and accountability. Practise punctuality by setting reminders and planning ahead to ensure you meet deadlines and arrive on time. Enhance your reliability by consistently delivering quality work and following through on your commitments. Develop your accountability by owning up to your mistakes, being transparent about your progress, and seeking feedback. Maintain consistency by establishing routines, setting high standards for your work, and striving to meet those standards consistently. Additionally, practise responsiveness by addressing requests and inquiries promptly and effectively.

  • Identify and write down key activities a typical nurse does during a workday.

  • Differentiate between tasks, determining which ones take more time and which ones take less while conducting the speed-mode execution of the schedule.

  • Devise alternative schedules, considering the elements that hindered the smooth execution of the initial plan during the exercise.

There are various aspects of dependability, each playing a crucial role in different contexts. Punctuality involves arriving on time for meetings, deadlines, and work-related tasks. Reliability includes consistently delivering work on time and meeting expectations. Accountability involves taking responsibility for your actions and decisions and being transparent about your work. Consistency means maintaining a high standard of performance over time and being predictable in your actions. Finally, responsiveness includes promptly addressing requests, inquiries, and issues that arise in the course of your work.

  • Explain the importance of carefully constructing a schedule in a nurse's profession, taking into account elements like shift hours, breaks, and personal time.

Dependability is a foundational soft skill that underpins your ability to succeed in any career. By developing your responsibility, reliability, accountability, consistency, and responsiveness skills, you will be better equipped to build relationships, advance in your career, enhance productivity, and foster a positive work environment. Start honing your dependability skills now, and you’ll set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling professional journey.

  • Create a 24-hour schedule, assigning time slots to each listed activity.

  • Assess the realism and effectiveness of the constructed schedule after the activity execution.
  • Judge the role of dependability in sticking to such a schedule in a real-world scenario.

Dependability plays a fundamental role in building relationships, career advancement, performance, productivity, and team dynamics. It helps build trust and rapport with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders by demonstrating your reliability and commitment to fulfilling your obligations. Dependability enhances career advancement opportunities, as employers value individuals who can be counted on to consistently perform their duties and meet expectations. It boosts performance and productivity by ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently and effectively, leading to better outcomes and less need for supervision. Additionally, dependability strengthens team dynamics by fostering a reliable and supportive environment, which is essential for successful collaboration.

Dependability is the quality of being trustworthy, reliable, and consistent in fulfilling commitments and responsibilities. It involves consistently meeting deadlines, being punctual, and delivering quality work. Dependability requires a combination of responsibility, reliability, and accountability, allowing you to build trust with colleagues, clients, and employers.