Nurses play one of the most integral roles in patient care delivery. They provide patients comprehensive healthcare while adding a personal touch to the entire process. Hence, they blend their passion for treating patients’ health problems with their experience in disease prevention to ensure better patient outcomes.
Typically, nurses worldwide hold a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing and professional certifications, licenses, and intensive clinical training. Moreover, they undergo regular clinical evaluations, further studies, and reviews to ensure they provide the best physical and mental care. Furthermore, they also participate in online forums, research, and apply what they have learned in a clinical setting.
There are around 290,000 licensed nurses in America alone, and this number is gradually increasing, with approximately 20,000 nursing candidates graduating every year. That said, if you look at the grand scheme of things, anyone can obtain a degree, certification, or nursing licensure. However, not all candidates have the traits necessary to be an excellent nurse. With that in mind, let us look at some positive characteristics that every nurse must possess to become successful on the job.
A passion for learning continuously
It is a well-known fact that the nursing field is constantly evolving. Because of this reason alone, aspiring nurses need to stay updated with the latest healthcare techniques and nursing best practices to flourish in their careers. Therefore good nurses must possess a never-ending thirst for learning continuously.
For instance, nurses with a bachelor’s degree under their belt can leverage technology and complete a master of science in nursing online alongside their clinical practice to quickly and intelligently enhance their knowledge base. Similarly, those who already hold a master’s degree can acquire a specialization or opt for a terminal degree. Doing so enables nurses to become more competent and provide their patients with the best care and services possible.
Empathy towards their patients
Nurses who are empathetic will always know and feel what their patients are going through, regardless of their medical conditions. Generally, this means understanding the patients’ condition through their perspective by putting themselves in their shoes. However, this trait also helps to change a patient’s perspective about nurses.
A patient inside a hospital might only think of a nurse as someone who performs tasks like bathing patients, dressing wounds, administering medicine, and much more. However, nurses must always assist their patients even when they don’t need it if they want to change such an image that the patients have made up in their minds. That said, all nurses aren’t born with an empathetic personality. They need to learn it by understanding their patients’ feelings and aiding them through the worst stages of their lives. It is a skill that eventually develops over time and with experience.
Excellent physical fitness
Individuals working as nurses need to constantly remain on their feet and sometimes stand in one place for long. That said, healthcare providers and leaders should provide nurses with the necessary equipment to limit injuries and improve patient care.
Furthermore, if you’re searching for a less physically exhausting nursing job, go for an administrative position. However, if you want to become an excellent nurse, ensure that you have the stamina to withstand anything. It would also help to make lifestyle changes that ensure good physical and mental well-being. After all, how can you preach if you don’t practice healthy living yourself?
Ability to think critically
A nurse who thinks critically knows how to determine practical and rational solutions. It is a disciplined and self-directed method to troubleshoot issues, interpret information correctly, and prioritize patient needs and requirements. For example, nurses need to quickly identify whether a patient has chest pain or is experiencing an oncoming heart attack.
The ability to think critically is crucial for every nurse to ensure autonomy and make improved professional decisions. After all, without standing on your own two feet and thinking about everything, you will probably end up turning a low-impact situation into a high-impact one. If you’re not using your critical thinking skills, minor inconveniences such as blood reversing in a cannula will feel daunting.
Ability to communicate effectively
For a nurse to be excellent at what s/he does, having practical communication skills is a no-brainer. As a nurse acts as a liaison between doctors, family members, and patients, they need to know how to collect vital information and share it with everyone involved in the caregiving process. If there are discrepancies and issues in such information, like inaccurate patient data, incomplete medication prescriptions, or more, it could harm the patient. It is the reason why communication is of the utmost importance for nurses everywhere.
So, to ensure everyone remains on the same page and communicates effectively with all healthcare staff involved in the treatment process, nurses need to write, present, and record information comfortably and accurately. Whatever technique you utilize to have an open-minded conversation with your coworkers, ensure that you’re doing whatever you possibly can to break down communication barriers that the nursing or healthcare profession has as a whole.
Tenacity is all about resolve, perseverance, and determination to reach your objectives and goals. Meaning, you constantly have to strive to get ahead in your professional career, regardless of facing tons of failures across your journey. Excellent nurses are always tenacious when it comes to their career goals. They remain persistent and never quit, prioritizing patient care by going against hospital rules or fighting against an insurance provider to cover a patient’s treatments.
That said, if you want to improve this trait within you, consider joining the AANP. Go ahead and participate in their lobby efforts. After all, many nurses are doing so to ensure they get full practice authority in states that prevent nurses from gaining total control.
An excellent nurse exudes integrity
Integrity is all about being ethical, trustworthy, and honest toward everyone. In fact, according to famous scientist Albert Einstein, an individual who is careless with the truth in small situations shouldn’t be responsible for handling vital cases. And according to other healthcare professionals and us, patient care is an essential matter undoubtedly. So, if you exude integrity while working as a nurse, you will prioritize and stand up for your patient, no matter how challenging the situation might be.
You will undoubtedly become an excellent nurse if you allow your skills and abilities to shine in your practice. That said, it would be wise to practice your trade inside a work environment that lets your creative juices flow like the rivers. Moreover, it would be best to remain up-to-date with the latest healthcare technologies that allow you to improve patient care tenfold. Whatever the case may be, the more you learn, the better you will become at your profession!