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Nurses are amazing! With their top-notch admin skills and the way they give people hope when they're feeling hopeless and vulnerable.
But what does it take to be a nurse? Think about it.
Do you have a passion for working with the sick? Can you handle stressful situations effectively?
These are good questions to ask, especially if you're thinking about pursuing nursing as a career.
So, here are some skills and qualities that are key to being a successful nurse.
Check them out and weigh them up against your own qualities to see if you have what it takes to be a nurse.
Qualities and skills that are key to nursing
You don't have to be perfect to be a nurse, but there are some qualities and skills that you need to have. Here are some of the most important ones:
1- Attention to detail
First up, nurses need to be meticulous. In the medical industry, small mistakes can have much larger consequences.
That's why paying attention to all the little details is so important. It can literally save a life.
As a nurse, you'll often be required to take down information, record patient symptoms, help execute treatment plans, and monitor patients as they recover.
2- Knowledgable and proficient with basic care techniques
In the healthcare industry, nurses are at the forefront of the system.
They provide the basic level of care to patients. This means they need to have the necessary knowledge to care for patients correctly and effectively.
3- Communication skills
Nursing can be a fast-paced job, especially if you're working in the emergency ward. For this reason, you need to be able to communicate effectively in the midst of chaos.
By communication, we mean effective vocal, written, and team communication. In all facets of the job, you need to be able to communicate clearly with patients, superiors, and co-workers so that the system runs smoothly.
4- Critical thinking skills
People are unique, and no two cases are exactly the same.
So, you can bank on dealing with people from very different backgrounds and circumstances, which can provide some challenging scenarios.
That's why nurses need to be quick on their feet, critical thinkers, and able to solve problems quickly and effectively.
5- Empathy
Empathy is not a superpower - but with the way nurses are able to make people feel calm and open by using it, it should be.
Showing empathy is an amazing way to let people know you're there with them and you can be a source of comfort. Empathy is the ability to understand how someone is feeling as if you were in their shoes.
As a nurse, you're going to be working with everyone from children who've had a scratch and need to be comforted to individuals who've been given a few days to live.
Showing empathy gives you the power to make a bad situation seem better.
6- Ethical and professional
Nurses need to be professional. They need to have good ethics and morals.
This means that they have a good sense of right and wrong, a good understanding of the professional conduct their institute expects them to have and that they practice those.
In everything they do, they need to promote the values of the healthcare system and not push their own ideologies or agendas but solely care for their patients as they're expected to do.
7- Great interpersonal skills
One of the primary duties of a nurse is to make patients feel at ease. This means having a good level of interpersonal skills.
Nurses who have difficulty interacting with others or who are socially awkward might make patients feel uncomfortable and more on edge about their upcoming procedures.
Some basic interpersonal skills that nurses should practice are striking up a conversation, effectively communicating, and having empathy.
8- Informative
Nurses are often the first person the family turns to when they're looking for answers about a family member in their care. This is usually because they're the most present.
So, nurses need to be able to answer families correctly. This means knowing what they can and can't say. They need to be clued up with the patient's treatment plan, diagnosis, and how to answer any other possible questions that may come their way.
9- Prioritises patient safety
This goes without saying, but keeping patients safe is always a top priority for anyone in the medical world, especially nurses. The kind of care nurses should strive to give should go further than just caring for them at the hospital.
When patients are released, follow-ups should be done as well to see how patients are doing. This is the kind of care expected from a devoted nurse.
10- Provides patient transport
There are often situations where patients require help with transportation around the hospital, or they need help going to the bathroom or getting up to walk around for some exercise.
It's the responsibility of the nurses to accompany them at these times.
11- Teamwork skills
As a nurse, you're not a lone ranger. You'll be working alongside a team of nurses with a superior. In this team, you'll often be required to be a team player, especially when there's an emergency.
In hospitals, it's not about who's on duty or who's been assigned to something. If there's an emergency and you're first on the scene, you need assistance.
Likewise, if you see another nurse overwhelmed, you're expected to help them. You're in the business of saving lives, so you can't afford to have the team make mistakes.
12- Time management skills
Procrastinating is not a luxury nurses can have. Nurses need to be able to manage their time effectively all the time.
As you go through your day-to-day tasks, you'll often be required to administer medication for patients at certain times or have tasks done by a deadline.
Every task is important and could have implications that affect other staff or patients, so managing your time well is vital.
13- Nurses need to be teachable
As a nurse, you need to be easy to teach, especially as a newbie. Going into a hospital with your degree and thinking you know how everything works will only land you in trouble.
So be humble, learn from more experienced nurses, and if needed, study further. Consider taking a graduate diploma of nursing online. It's a great way to further develop your skills as a nurse and it can be done while working.
Final thoughts
Nurses are brilliant people, but they're not perfect, so while these qualities might make them seem like they are, they're still people.
There's a good chance that you don't tick strongly for all of these boxes, and that's okay; there's always space to grow. At least you now know the standard to strive for.
We wish you all the best!