If you have a knack for helping the sick and caring for the injured, the field of nursing is the perfect career choice for you.
Apart from ensuring patient care, as a nurse, you have the opportunity to work in various settings and become a role model for others.
Though a general misconception regarding nurses is that their job doesn’t exceed sponge baths or bedpans, the fact of the matter is their value within the healthcare system is more than that.
Nurses are at the frontline of administering patient care compared to other healthcare professionals. Nurses know every detail surrounding the patient’s health, even the ones a primary care provider is likely to skip.
Without a nurse’s vast skill set, the likelihood of care facilities working efficiently and ensuring patient care is low.
Hospitals and numerous care facilities have understood the significance of nurses, especially during the recent global health crisis.
The pandemic highlighted how nurses were at the forefront, ensuring every patient’s health without giving a thought or two to their well-being.
The trying times are also an opportunity for an exceptional nurse to come out on top. Where the nursing field allows aspirants to enhance their skills, various obstacles await them daily.
Only those who overcome these hurdles and continue to move forward are successful.
The road to becoming a qualified nurse begins with enrolling in programs like RN to BSN courses online which helps novices learn about patient care safety and professionally valuable experiences.
Aside from academic learning and professional experience, a few traits are also significant to a successful nurse. What are those? Let’s have a look.
- Empathy
Although a primary care provider might not have enough time on their hands to deal with a patient’s emotions, a nurse, on the other hand, understands every patient’s turmoil. Empathy is a natural aspect of a nurse’s personality, but it significantly matters in patient care.
That is so because a hospital isn’t exactly a patient’s favorite place; it is emotionally nerve-wracking. In such circumstances, they need a ray of hope that nurses are. When receiving empathic care, patients feel less agitated and have lower anxiety levels.
Empathy is pivotal during nurse-patient interaction, as it helps gather pertinent medical information that impacts decision-making surrounding treatment protocol and care plan.
Lack of empathy affects the treatment efficiency, leaving patients unaware or confused about the care provided.
- Communication Skills
A set of solid communication skills distinguishes a successful nurse from others. These skills allow nurses to understand the patient’s concerns, opinions, and experiences which are critical when ensuring care.
A nurse’s primary role is to collect data useful in implementing treatment. Lack of communication contributes to several consequences, like incomplete patient information or errors in transcribing medication orders.
Quality patient care is ensured when nurses incorporate verbal communication during their practice. It helps establish a connection with a patient and is beneficial in retrieving helpful information.
With a smooth dialogue flow, healthcare providers are more likely to perform well and enhance patient health outcomes.
For effective communication, a nurse must avoid using terminologies alien to the patient’s ear and answer patient queries clearly and concisely.
Trust is critical, accomplished by implementing various communication strategies, which later help nurses during their practice.
- Critical Thinking
Every day in nursing brings forth obstacles that test the nurse’s skills and knowledge. Critical thinking in nursing involves analyzing data, troubleshooting clinical issues, and prioritizing patient needs timely.
Having the said particular skill in nurses is essential since they are a part of the healthcare team, work autonomously, and are solely responsible for their decisions.
High-pressure circumstances and instant decision-making is a part of nursing that becomes daunting when nurses cannot think on their feet.
Apart from challenging situations, critical thinking also plays a pivotal role in managing day-to-day tasks. It enables nurses to view every patient case from a different angle and offer valuable input in making decisions accordingly.
- Respect
Exceptional nurses are recognized for the qualities that make them human and how they incorporate those values into their daily practice. As a nurse, the possibility of meeting personalities of different natures is high.
However, amid this, a nurse is always required to uphold a modem of decorum. Respect in nursing defines the boundary as valuable in treating patients meanwhile doing their duty well.
As we all know, respect is earned, which signifies that you are doing your job, with everyone appreciating you as a person and a nurse.
Miscommunication is often the result of unresolved conflicts or workplace disagreements. As mentioned earlier, communication is critical; the conversation must be clear and concise while talking to co-workers to prevent misunderstandings.
Gaining the respect of others is about giving credit where it’s due. Praising colleagues or their work goes a long way in establishing good and healthy professional relationships.
Earning the respect of others is nothing short of a task that involves treating everyone with dignity and striving hard to do what is right, mainly when disagreement or conflict occurs.
- Organization skills
Being organized is one of the commendable attributes of a highly skilled nurse. Organizational skills encompass diverse expertise critical in living up to the nursing role.
Organizing day-to-day tasks like dealing with patient load and piles of paperwork is undoubtedly tricky, yet it is key to becoming a successful nurse.
However, with the help of various tools like smartphone apps and worksheets, nurses have become efficient in keeping track of daily tasks.
Among the bucket loads of responsibilities, nurses are required to supervise those working in their shadow. It is indeed an arduous task, especially when you are answerable for the action of others.
A professional work environment is regulated when nurses have trustworthy and competent staff members on board.
Incompetent nurses are recognized for their inability to guide team members to carry out assigned roles, ultimately impacting the quality of patient care.
In the healthcare sector, situations often arise when care providers have to make an instant decision within a short period. It is where a nurse’s skills are assessed, making it crucial to develop solid time management skills.
A skilled nurse with solid time management skills makes efficient use of every minute in planning, prioritizing, and delegating to achieve desired outcomes.
Conclusion
When caring for the sick or injured, attention to detail is crucial, which is what a nursing role demands. Though many consider nursing only a career, it is more than that. It is a calling that offers a chance to make an impact on the lives of others.
Despite extensive knowledge and skills, certain traits make a qualified nurse stand out. Besides having qualities, a skilled nurse is recognized for using the qualities in the professional setup to deliver results.
With the help of solid communication skills, critical thinking, and empathy, a successful nurse ensures the care provided to patients and the workplace environment is up to the care facilities’ standards.