Most nurses continue expanding the knowledge base in their field by attending workshops, seminars and courses. Hospitals would not function without nurses. Doctors rely heavily on nurses for crucial information about each patient, and their experience and medical knowledge provides the basis of diagnoses and subsequent treatments. Nurses do their best to treat all patients and their families with respect, absorbing their worries and fears, and even using humor as a way to offset any angst.
Let's face it, patients can be messy. Nurses take on the giving role of helping them every step of the way - whether it's diaper changes for elderly patients or giving someone a bath. When entering a hospital or medical facility, the first person you encounter will be a nurse. Whether you're being admitted or preparing to see a doctor, nurses are the initial point of contact and are there to answer questions and assuage fears.
Like other therapeutic communication techniques, it takes practice, but anyone willing to change their communication style can learn to express themselves more effectively and with confidence. In , Congress passed a bill designed to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal healthcare information. Today, medical information may only be exchanged between healthcare providers when necessary and with consent.
Gone are the days when charts were hung at the foot of a patient's bed. Nurses are expected to have the utmost discretion when it comes to handling medical data. In a busy healthcare setting, when one team member drops the ball, another has to pick it up. Thankfully, while reliability is a professional must, work-life balance is possible to achieve with strategies like taking positions with hours that make meeting other commitments easier and utilizing vacation and other paid time off efficiently.
Most employers in the healthcare field know their staff makes sacrifices to keep things running smoothly, and they try to offer as much flexibility as possible. Being organized is among the most vital qualities for nurses, and it encompasses several key skills including neatness, the ability to prioritize and delegate, and the expertise to manage time effectively.
The average worker spends almost a third of their day looking for information. Of that, nearly an hour is lost due to disorganized work stations. Everything in healthcare is subject to prioritization, but because issues in a medical setting are continually evolving, nurses need to prioritize tasks at the start of their shift and re-prioritize them throughout the day as things change.
Healthcare is a resource. Delegation is a tough skill for some nurses to master. Being responsible for how someone else performs a job on your behalf is a significant responsibility. Everything in healthcare is time-sensitive. Doses given early or late can delay procedures and significantly affect outcomes. Patients need to be fed, washed and taken to the bathroom on time while any moment, an emergency could arise.
Nurse make it all work by planning, prioritizing, delegating and making the most of every minute. Being organized is less of an innate ability than it is practicing good habits and using the right tools. Computers in healthcare facilities, for example, use software that organizes task lists, sets up reminder systems and reorganize priorities as they change. As the cornerstone of nursing, compassion makes all the difference in the lives of people in need.
How do patients describe compassionate nurses? What does compassion look like? Compassion means different things to everyone, and for nurses, the mission is to discover what those things are and act on them.
Nursing is a profession dedicated to caring for others, and it can be physically, emotionally and mentally demanding. Long shifts, busy days and coping with illness and death are stressful. The best way to reduce job-related stress is to set clear professional boundaries, work in areas of the field that allow a reasonable work-life balance and take advantage of well-deserved time off without feeling guilty.
Medication errors and incidents involving client and staff safety are among the top mistakes attributed to nurse fatigue. This list of qualities that good nurses tend to share is long, but it shouldn't be intimidating. Prospective nursing students should be thoughtful and take the commitment to a career in healthcare seriously. A vocational school is the perfect place to start. Did learning about the qualities of a good nurse interest you? If you're interested in pursuing a nursing degree, we have the degree program for you.
The curriculum of nursing education courses, as well as general education classes, can train you to provide patients with care that's safe, effective, patient-centered, timely and efficient. Similarly, a great nurse exercises excellent judgment and can think quickly to anticipate and address problems. Providing excellent health care can be very dynamic and unpredictable at times. A great nurse is willing and able to be flexible and adapt to any unforeseen circumstance.
In the day-to-day provision of health care, it is up to nurses to sometimes juggle hectic schedules and competing demands, to make calm decisions and respond to unexpected events effectively, and often, to find creative ways to make a difference for patients in the limited time you are able to spend with them. Decision-making on the job can be a delicate balancing act, and when it comes to nursing, respect goes a long way.
Whatever may come, it is important for a good nurse to honor healthy boundaries and respect all of the diverse people you serve and work with. A nurse who exercises respect for all coworkers, patients, and families will receive the same in return. It is crucial to get to know each patient and their family as individuals, and to respectfully and unobtrusively work in concert with their desires and schedules.
To create a great career in nursing that works for you , it is important to really know yourself. Improvements in education approaches e. This important skill applies to nurses of all ages, throughout every stage of their career, from recent graduates to the highly experienced. While having a strong willingness to learn is an important skill in a good nurse, putting that knowledge into successful practice requires an ability to think critically—especially in high-stress situations.
A nurse with highly functioning critical thinking skills is one of the most important characteristics of a professional nurse. Balancing multiple patients, stressful care settings, and competing priorities is no small feat during a hour shift. Setting time aside for selfcare is also a crucial component to time management.
While most nurses approach their careers with patient care in mind, many will unexpectedly transition into leadership roles. A quality of a good nurse that will become more and more valuable in the growing nursing field is the ability to successfully lead.
Mentorships from nursing leaders can also teach invaluable lessons on how to become a great nurse. As nursing leaders work to bring new nurses in the door, most available candidates are predominantly new graduate nurses—a stark contrast to their predecessors in terms of experience and the many patient care skills and knowledge that can only come with time and practice. By engaging with new nurses to instill an expectation of continuous learning, while creating a positive environment for them to learn from experienced nurses without fear of judgement , nursing leaders will set new nurses up for success—benefiting their careers, the organization, and most importantly their patients.
As the national leader in holistic healthcare assessments, Relias Assessments empowers nursing leaders to leverage assessments to make informed hiring and placement decisions thereby helping them achieve better long-term nurse success, satisfaction, and retention. Assessment data helps nursing leaders identify developmental areas, continuously measure competencies, and cultivate future leaders.
Additionally, CE Direct known for its reputation as the leading provider in continuing education offers a wealth of knowledge to nursing leaders on management and leadership education, including:. Get the latest articles straight to your inbox and better navigate the ever-changing healthcare landscape.
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