What are clinical skills?

Clinical skills include observation, analysis, and diagnostics, which are essential for a clinician.

1. Observation

   A clinician must have attentive observation skills. Healthcare professionals use sight, touch, and hearing, all while spending time with a patient to assess them. Often observation skills are put to use while vitals are being taken.

   Observation skills are extremely important, especially when patients cannot speak for themselves or aren't aware of their issues.

2. Analyze

   Clinicians are also responsible for analyzing, interpreting, and making conclusions based on their observations. Clinicians must be able to do all of these things to diagnose and treat patients.

   They often use their observations of the patient, along with x-rays and lab tests, to determine objectively what might be happening.

3. Diagnostics

   Diagnostics are also part of a clinician's daily responsibilities. The clinician uses observations and test results to diagnose a patient. To properly diagnose patients, a clinician must know which test to order.

   Diagnosis skills include collaboratively seeing observations and test results to determine what affects a patient. There are several other skills a clinician must possess to treat patients successfully.