In recent decades, soft skills have been a hot topic of discussion globally. The demand for soft skills in the workforce is more evident than ever, as countries move away from industrial economies into service-based economies. The health sector has not been spared either, as soft skills remain an integral aspect to quality patient care.
Historically, employers would majorly focus on specific technical skills that were important for employment and career progression. However, with evolution, authors have suggested that while technical skills will help you gain employment, it is soft skills that will determine if you keep that employment.
Soft skills have also been described by some authors as “essential to survive and succeed in personal, professional and social life skills”. Available research also shows that 75% of long-term career success can be attributed to soft skills and only 25% to technical skills. This clearly shows how important soft skills are not only in formal employment but also in the informal world.
It’s key to note that successful health careers require a combination of essential skills and qualities. Some of the key skills and qualities include:
- Critical thinking: With this, healthcare workers must be able to analyse complex situations, identify potential problems, and make informed decisions to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
- Communication: Here, healthcare workers must be skilled communicators who can effectively interact with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals.
- Empathy: In here, healthcare workers must be able to empathize with patients and families and provide compassionate care.
- Cultural competence: Healthcare workers must be able to understand and respect the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients and provide culturally appropriate care.
- Time management: It’s important that healthcare workers are able to prioritize tasks and manage their time efficiently to ensure that patient care is delivered in a timely manner.
- Lifelong learning: Here, healthcare workers must be committed to ongoing learning and professional development to keep up with the latest healthcare advancements and best practices etc.
Notably, to obtain these skills and qualities, health training institutions should emphasize the importance of effective communication, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, empathy, and cultural competence by integrating these topics into the curriculum and providing opportunities for health students to interact with patients from diverse backgrounds.
These soft skills go beyond the scope of traditional medical, nursing and midwifery training. For the healthcare workers in service, continuing professional development (CPD) sessions about soft skills are very vital. Some of the organisations in Uganda which provide soft skills training to healthcare workers (both pre-service and in-service) include; Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery and Little Winnie Foundation.
Conclusively, soft skills encapsulate the humane aspect of care, lending healthcare professionals the ability to connect, understand, and work harmoniously with patients and colleagues alike.
We therefore recommend the Ministry of Education and Sports-Department of Health training, the National Council of Higher Education, the Ministry of Health, professional health associations and non-government organisations among other relevant entities to strengthen the aspect of soft skills during training and in-practice among healthcare workers.
The authors are; Ms Lilian Nuwabaine; BSc Nurse & MSN-Midwife and Women’s Health Specialist & Heroes in Health Award Winning Midwife and Ms Winnie Nabukeera; Nurse-Sonographer; Mentor; Health Coach & CEO Little Winnie Foundation
