Nursing is one of the most popular entry points for a long career in medicine. The work is highly rewarding, though unglamorous and demanding. Working as a nurse gives you the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of your patients, but you need a great deal of education and training to acquire the necessary skills to handle the demands of the profession.
Before you commit to the cost, time, and effort of nursing school, you should consider whether you have the qualities that make a great nurse, so you are sure that this is the right career for you. These include:
- Diligence and physical endurance
Nurses are often required to work for more than 10 hours a day, which means that they must be hard-working and energetic to cope with the demands of their work, and also have the energy to take care of their families.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Good communication skills are essential for any career, but nurses must have exceptional communication skills to be able to interact clearly and effectively with patients, their families, and other medical professionals. With proper listening and speaking skills, they can solve problems and communicate effectively based on patient feedback.
- Empathy
The best nurses are able to feel compassion for the suffering patients and provide comfort when needed. Considering the long working hours, they must be prepared to handle the occasional spell of compassion fatigue, so they don’t compromise on patient care.
- Emotional stability
While there are many heartwarming moments in nursing, you will also be faced with many traumatic situations. This means that you must be prepared to accept suffering and death, and manage the stress of sad situations, without letting it get personal.
- Attention to detail
Each and every step in the medical field can have far-reaching implications, so a good nurse should be extremely careful not to make any errors, from reading a patient’s chart correctly to administering the proper dosages, to noticing any complications from medications.
Also, the best nurses are respectful of everyone around them, truly compassionate, and willing to continue to learn how to engage in new approaches and improve patient care.
