If you enjoy science or have a science-based bachelor’s degree, then you may have considered a career in nursing. However, along with classroom learning and medical knowledge, nurses need to have a lot of soft skills that may not be taught in a classroom. Here are the top 10 qualities that make a great nurse.
Compassion
When you think of nurses, you often think of their compassion. They must have a great deal of this to be able to understand what their patients are suffering and how to put it right. Compassion means that a nurse will always want to go that extra mile to help and care for their patients and this can often mean the difference between a good nurse and a great nurse.
Communication
A nurse needs to be able to communicate on many different levels. For example, they might need to discuss clinical notes with a specialist that require a high level of technical knowledge, but if they then need to relay that information to a patient or their family, they need to be able to say it in a way that a layman can understand easily. This takes great skill, especially if they are going straight from one conversation to the other. They also need to be able to keep notes on their patients that can be handed over to the next nurse at the end of the shift. Therefore, their written communication needs to be clear, concise, and easy to read.
Willingness to Learn
A nurse’s education does not end when they qualify. If a nurse wants to get ahead, they need to take additional qualifications such as an accelerated BSN via an institution like Baylor University Online. These include qualifications to help them gain promotion and to specialize in their chosen field.
The world of nursing is always changing as scientific and technological breakthroughs change what is possible in hospitals and the way things are done. Nurses need to be willing to learn these new skills rather than resisting change if they want to get ahead.
Ability to Multi-Task
Nurses spend a lot of their shift being pulled from pillar to post depending on the needs of their patients. This can be confusing during a busy shift, and they can’t afford to make mistakes as this might involve a patient being given the wrong care or medication. They need to be able to keep their minds on everything at once and this is not a skill that is easy to learn. The ability to multi-task is something that has to come naturally, but those who have this ability make great nurses.
Ability to Prioritize
A nurse’s priorities can change in a heartbeat, and they need to recognize this and react accordingly. They need to be able to assess a situation quickly and change their priorities, which is not an easy thing to do, especially when they are under pressure.
Stamina
A nurse needs to have a lot of stamina to keep up with the demands of their job. The ability to race from one patient to the next can be challenging, especially at the end of a 12-hour shift. However, they are also expected to lift patients, wheel beds around, and push heavy drugs trollies. Finding the time to exercise outside of work can be difficult so they need to have a lot of natural stamina to keep up with the demands that are made of them.
Be Calm
The ability to stay calm in a crisis is something that a lot of people would struggle with. However, some people are never put in situations where they might meet a crisis other than those demanded at their office jobs. A nurse will spend their whole shift dealing with a multitude of different crises and must stay calm throughout them all. Whether a patient is dying or a relative of a patient is shouting at them, they need to keep their cool.
Relaxed
Most people find it difficult to sleep following a crisis, but a nurse has to be calm enough to sleep at the end of the day so that they can get up and do it all again the next day. If they are lucky, they may be able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour and it won’t affect their body clock too much. All too often, though, they will be on shifts and their sleep time will be all over the place. If they are on nights, they will have to sleep during the day, only for them to have their shift pattern change again a few days later and their body clock has to get used to something else. It is imperative that they learn how to relax and take care of themselves when they are off duty.
Assertiveness
A good first aid guide will tell you that following an accident, the people who are shouting the loudest are not the people who are the most seriously injured. The most injured people are not making any noise at all. The same thing applies to a ward full of patients. The most demanding will be well enough to make their demands while the truly sick are too ill to say anything. A nurse has to be assertive enough to give their time and attention to the ones who are being the quietest while making sure they are not disturbed by the noisy patients. Assertiveness is imperative if they want to get their job done.
Reliable
Everyone depends on a nurse. Their patients want to get their medication at the right time, their colleagues want to be able to leave their shift on time, and the doctors rely on them for up-to-date information. Reliability is one of the most important traits a nurse can have.
These are the top ten qualities that make a great nurse. If you can see many of these in yourself, this might make a great career choice for you.