Six Important Qualities of a Good Nurse

If you ask anyone today that you want to become a nurse, the advice you will get is to find a good nursing school and put much effort into your training. No one can disagree that nursing is a highly professional field and it requires a high level of training that enables the student to master the best practices. After all, they are dealing with health and lives. A little mess up can be fatal.

What you do not hear about are the other qualities that you should have in addition to the professional training. These classes help you to relate well with the patients, your colleges, and supervisors during clinical exposure as well as practice.

1. Exceptional Communication Skills

Ability to communicate correctly is one of the most critical traits for many jobs. In nursing, it is a necessity rather than skill or an option. Communication skill for a nurse is not just an ability to speak well but also be a keen listener to establish a proper clinical history leading to accurate diagnosis. You should learn to communicate well with patients and their families even after diagnosis as they require instructions on what they should do after receiving treatment.

2. Effective Interpersonal Skills

Remarkable interpersonal skills are essential for nursing as you will be the link between various patients and doctors. You also need to communicate consistently with other staff including those serving in other departments such ambulance drivers, and x-ray technicians. Nurses are the image of a hospital for patients while doctors depend on them to perform some tasks. As a nurse, you should have the capacity to strike a healthy balance between needs of the patients and physicians.

3. Attention to Details

Every step that you take when providing care to patients might cause grave consequences due to an oversight. An effective nurse pays attention to the detail and does not miss any step. Whether it is reading a patient’s chart or memorizing case details, you should never take anything for granted. You attention levels make a lot of difference to the quality of healthcare you provide.

4. Diligence and Stamina

A brilliant nurse should be extremely hard working, and it requires diligence to survive the shifts. You may think that nursing job is within a certain timeframe but in reality, nurses work for long hours. It requires much commitment to work beyond the call of duty moving up and down probably for consecutive shifts. A nurse must have solid stamina as they perform various physical tasks. They stand for long periods, lift heavy equipment, provide physical support to the patients and walk around the facility severally.

5. Ability to Solve Problems Quickly

Nurses should have an ability to diagnose medical problems quickly and make quick decisions on the next step. On examination a patient, it is necessary that you quickly decide whether the person requires medication, reference to a specialist or advice on how to manage a condition. You should prepare for emergency and trauma cases that require you to deal with awkward moments. You should think of possible solutions whether it is comforting the patients, communicating with doctors, administrative technicians patient families.

6. Empathetic Attitude

Hospital visits and admissions are not fun. Some of the patients endure much pain and suffering. A remarkable nurse should empathize with patients and do the best to provide comfort. A hospital atmosphere should be formal, but as a person who spends much time with the patients, it is essential for you to add a humane touch ad kindhearted attitude. It makes patients feel that you appreciate them and to a certain extent, it will improve their condition. You can even add a sense of humor and give them a reason to a laugh. Nursing experience comes with a share of physical and mental fatigue, but you should suppress it and be kind to the patients. If you have the above qualities and relate well with people, you can make a good nurse after training.