Nursing is not just a career; it is a vocation. Nursing is an art, and therefore the artist must have exquisite devotion to their profession. In nursing, the qualities of a good nurse are vast because it is crucial to have the best for the sick.
What inspires individuals to become nurses?
If you are to interview nurses, they all will give a moving story as to why they pursued nursing as a career. Their stories would range from firsthand experiences to taking after a role model. Others pursue nursing due to the challenges in their surrounding environment.
It does not matter where your passion for pursuing nursing stems from; you are here now, and it’s time to make a change and heal the world. You have the desired qualities for nursing, so it is time to heed the call.
What are the most important qualities of a nurse?
As a nurse, you are a crucial member of healthcare. Your role is vital to help reduce the death rate and improve efficiency in meeting patients’ needs. You, therefore, must have the following important qualities of a nurse
1. Industrious
If you have ever been to public health care, you can agree that that is the busiest place in the world. As a nurse, you will have to be on your feet for lengthy shifts. You spend your days running to and from to serve the ill. Hard work is, therefore, a good characteristic of a nurse.
2. Informed
The only way to become a nurse is to gain knowledge through learning and implementation. You must be well-rounded and knowledgeable in your practice. If you are entrusted with a life, strive to possess and apply all the knowledge you got.
For instance, when a nurse makes a medication error to a baby, the result is catastrophic. Do you need to lose a life because of someone else’s lack of knowledge? Life is far too precious to be managed by incompetent individuals.
3. curiosity
The best quality of a nurse is to be inquisitive. Nursing as a profession is a lifelong learning process because new diseases and their re-emergence have become the new normal. Nurses learn basic degrees programs but continue to learn more as practicing nurses. Continuation of education instead of stagnation is an important quality of a nurse.
4. Good communicator
Nurses should communicate and maintain a good rapport with their coworkers, patients, and the family of their patients. One of the outstanding qualities of a good nurse is the ability to receive instructions from supervisors and coworkers, even in stressful situations.
As a nurse, you must communicate a patient’s treatment plan with ease. Recording a patient’s vital signs accurately for your fellow nurses and the medical staff can also help save a life.
For instance, you are working in healthcare, and a patient shows up with the signs of a chronic illness. Unfortunately, it happens that the patient is a stammerer. Hey, people have needs, so what do you do to communicate with this patient effectively?
Nothing is as satisfying as showing concern for that patient. It could be your attention that helps them hope and fight to conquer the disease. At the end of the day, everybody needs love to sustain them. You have enough love to spare, give them a listening ear, be their world.
5. Optimistic
Nursing can be emotionally challenging because it requires you to be strong for your patients even when you know their chances of survival are minimal. You must focus on the positives and see the light in a dark tunnel by being optimistic. Optimism means you must inspire others to see things from the brighter side.
For instance, you are on duty in the cancer ward, and it so happens that a child you have grown fond of is terminally ill and has few months to live. If this child were to look at you directly and ask,’ do you think I will die?’
This is a tricky question to answer, especially for a child. It means fighting back the pain and the tears and assuring them to stick to the medication bravely, and one day the disease will go away. After all, what kind of a nurse would you be if you did not believe in miracles?
6. Compassionate
One of the most vital qualities of a good nurse is compassion. You must be empathetic about your patients and their families. This way, you build meaningful and lasting relationships with them.
Today, every nurse’s role model, Florence Night gale, is an epitome of dedication and empathy. She chose to care for the wounded and the sick up to her demise, thus saving thousands of lives.
You all are a part of God’s big family; thus, taking the initiative to understand where their fears, outbursts, and stress originate from will impact them significantly. It helps when a troubled soul knows someone cares. Make a choice and brighten a spirit.
7. Great memory
This characteristic is crucial because it can be the survival or death of some patients. You are dealing with many patients, yes, but it would be great if you were to remember every tidbit detail about them.
8. Emotional stability
Day in and day out, nurses encounter high and low situations. In those difficult moments, you must remain calm and focus on your patient’s health and safety. Getting angry at them and openly scolding them is not on top of the qualities of a good nurse.
Imagine a scenario where one of your patients whose vital signs you are trying to monitor and record retches on your immaculate uniform. Do you lash out abuses or calmly help them to a more comfortable situation and help them clean up?
This patient did not throw up on you intentionally; it could be a side effect of medication or the diet. Take the time to ease their discomfort and show them that you understand and forgive them. No sane human being would vomit on you willingly.
9. Flexibility
It’s hard to predict what will happen when on-call—probably injured patients from car wreckage or serious illnesses. You must be flexible enough to manage all this in your stride.
Remember that nurses must also work for exceedingly long hours over weekends and holidays. You might get an alert to report to work, yet you are on your vacation. This requires flexibility on your side.
10. Thinking critically
The skills and qualities of a nurse should enable them to think fast and smart in a problematic situations. It is hard to make a lucid decision when under pressure, but you can do it. The driving force is the patient’s need to have the pain relieved and the hope you are the person to make it go away.
11. Caring
Caring is among the top 30 qualities of a good nurse. Tenderness and care towards your patients significantly impact their health and attitude towards life. In Michael Jacksons’ song ‘we are the world,’ he says
Oh, send them your heart
So, they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones into bread
And so, we all must lend a helping hand
12. Stamina
The strength of a nurse has been underestimated since time immemorial. A nurse must lift and adjust patients in a single shift and walk back and forth constantly. It is a no-brainer; some patients are weighty, but it is your duty as a nurse to maintain that stamina.
The most personal qualities of a good nurse are the unique balancing of emotional and physical stamina. You are a great nurse if you can approach a patient and prop them in bed despite your aching muscles. Maintain that outward aura of strength because you are a philanthropist.
Being robotic in your delivery is not exactly a confident booster. Laughter Is said to be the best medicine. Try it. It means you are human and capable of having emotions.
Have you ever heard of the expression ‘dancing in the rain’? The rain, in this case, represents the high-stress situations that you must solve. Staying positive helps spread positivity to your colleagues, patients,’ and their families. Be the stronger person and laugh the tears away.
13. Allegiance to patient advocacy
One of the most moving and good characteristics of a nurse is advocating for patient safety and fair treatment. This advocacy is a core tenet in every healthcare system. You are supposed to practice a strong passion for patient advocacy by fighting for their right to receive the best care available.
Has it come to your attention as a nurse that most patients visiting healthcare are confused and disoriented? They are unable to speak up and cower easily. Create for them an experience with no fear, a haven to speak out and get the healing they deserve.
14. Time management
The ability to cram up all your duties and responsibilities within a twelve-hour shift is remarkable. Time is of the essence when dealing with something as precious as life. The fact that you are dealing with somebody’s child, mother, father, or any other relative should motivate you to keep up the pace.
It is necessary to have all these qualities of a good nurse, but how about being selfish for a minute or two? Do not fail to rest or re-group doing your twelve-hour shift. You are human and not a machine. As dedicated to humanity as you want to be, you can only be of help if you have rested and focused.
15. Leadership
Sometimes a situation might call for a leader to give instructions and mobilize the staff. You are a nurse, not just a hoi polloi, but can you lead the team successfully? Leadership is a good nursing quality that is becoming more valuable in the dynamic nursing field.
16. Experience
Nothing sharpens understanding better than experience. So, you are a new nurse fresh from campus, right? Are you willing to be a great nurse by learning from those in practice for a while? As a longtime practicing nurse, do you look forward to learning from these new graduates?
The nursing career is dynamic; hence, learning is continuous. With that in mind, both parties, i.e., the new graduate nurse and the practicing, experienced nurse, should work positively, learn, and share ideas. This should be without fear of judgment from either party.
17. Integrity
Doing what is right sometimes means losing out on some promised luxury or favors. As nurses, integrity should be an integral part of your career. You must do what is right, even if it means doing it alone. That is if you have ever heard of the law of karma? You attract what you are.
18. Endurance
Nursing requires your time, energy, and dedication without fail. You must be enduring enough to survive the long working hours, the night shifts, and the constant pressures. No one is supposed to critique the strength of a nurse. Walk their path first, then judge them later.
19. Respect
You will interact with patients who are vastly different from you from time to time. Maybe, their economic status, age, level of education, and race are the direct opposite of you. Respect them enough to give them the best care continually. They deserve it.
Everyone you meet is fighting a different battle in life. Respect them and be fair in your delivery of services to them. Remember, wealth is not the balance in your bank account; it is what you have in your heart.
Qualities of a good nursing student
If you are aspiring to be a nurse, here are some of the qualities of a good nursing student
- Be emphatic and caring
You should prepare yourself to deal efficiently with upset and scared patients. A near-death experience visibly shakes even the high and mighty. Be sensitive and exercise compassion because these individuals suffer or deal with serious medical issues.
- Understand the nurse code of ethics
Do not be shrewd in your dealings with patients. The most vital nursing code of ethics is to fully concentrate on the nurturing and care of patients. Retire from the nursing career and leave it better than you found it.
- Unvarying emotions
The nursing career is challenging to pull through, and so is practicing as a nurse. Emotional stability is a crucial requirement in the healthcare industry. You must be strong for your patient, disconnect after work and seek counseling if necessary.
- Excellent communication skills
As a student nurse, the ability to communicate effectively is an exceptional quality of a good nurse. You will find that you must communicate with
- Patients
- The patient’s family
- Doctors
- Colleagues
- Addicts
- Time management
Nursing school can take up almost all your time; therefore, you have to learn to balance time. This skill proves very vital when you begin practicing as a full-time nurse. Do not forget amidst all the hustle and bustle, you must find time for yourself and your loved ones.
What makes a good nurse essay?
If you are a student pursuing nursing, the number of assignments you must complete might be ridiculously overwhelming. You might be pondering what makes a good nurse essay. Here are some steps to authoring a good essay for ease in your academic life.
- understanding your assignment
Does the essay question require you to reflect, discuss or analyze? Understanding your essay question will equip you with ideas to write a good nurse essay. You can only be successful in your essay writing if you can understand how to answer the question asked.
- Finding the topic
If your instructor has not given you a specific topic to research, you need to choose your own. Ensure the topic you select interests you and is researchable.
- Conducting your research
Do you know of all the places to source information from? How about using the physical libraries, databases, and the internet? During the research process, read while jotting down notes.
- Creating an outline
Before writing your nursing essay, you must have a detailed plan of what you need. You classify the information by creating an outline and a well-balanced and logical essay.
- Writing the introduction
The introduction should be a brief overview of what you will be discussing in your nursing essay. Ensure you highlight why your topic is important to you.
- Writing of body paragraphs
Depending on the topic you have chosen or provided with, a nursing essay paragraphs range from 3-to 4. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence.
- Concluding your nursing essay
When summarising, you are supposed to briefly sum up what you have discussed in your body. Do not introduce any new topics in the conclusion.
- Proofreading and editing your nursing essay
Is your nursing essay easy to read? Is the flow of ideas appealing to you? Is your nursing essay logical? You need to address these queries before handing in your nursing essay.
You are also required to correctly format your essay and correct all the grammar errors, punctuation errors, and any other errors. Remember, you have all the qualities of a good nurse; it is only the certification you need to serve humanity.
Do’s and do not’s of a working nurse
Since time immemorial, nursing has been a complex career to follow. As a working nurse, there are many things to be on the lookout for.
Some of the do’s include
- Cleaning up when doing your rounds
Even if time is scarce, always find the time to clean up your mess. Your patients and coworkers may not say it out round, but they will be very appreciative deep inside.
Motivate your colleagues
Nursing is stressful and backbreaking. Due to the pressure, stress might build up and result in a bitter exchange. One of the qualities of a good nurse is to stay calm when things get hot. Before things escalate to this level, always choose to give credit and encourage your colleagues.
- Questioning the physician’s orders if they do not make sense
Your job is not to follow your superiors’ orders timidly, especially if they endanger a patient’s life. You are supposed to advocate for the patients’ rights; hence you can question those orders. Just ensure that you do it politely.
- With each new dawn, learn something new
Nursing is a life-long learning process. You can only be a great nurse by learning more each new day. Learning something new makes your job easier and improves the healthcare system.
Some of them do not’s include
- Getting distracted
Mobile phones are a massive form of distraction thus, an enemy to diligent care. It is wise to keep the phone away and serve the people at work. Patients need somebody to listen to them, be emphatic, and care. You cannot do all this while on the phone, right?
- Ignoring new nurses
If you think you got all the experience you will ever need, you are mistaken. The nursing field is dynamic, and as such, you need to get the new innovative ideas and embrace them. This is possible if you are to maintain a good rapport with the fresh nurse graduates.
- Overworking yourself
You are a great person with the necessary personal qualities of a nurse. This does not mean that you serve humanity and forget yourself. You will be of good service if you rest and serve your people with a clear mind.
- Do not gossip about your colleagues
Work should be therapeutic. If you speak ill of everyone in your workplace, do not complain that no one likes you. Gossiping results in a toxic work environment and poor team performance. If you observe all these dos and don’ts, you will achieve a healthy and balanced work-life hence good team performance.
Summary
Dreams are conceived, nurtured, and built from fantasies to reality by you. It might seem impossible to achieve a goal, but nothing is impossible under the sun if you are alive. You are already in possession of the necessary qualities of a good nurse. Go for it.