10 Traits of a Great Nurse

Whether a seasoned nurse, a new nurse, or maybe someone considering a career in nursing, here are ten characteristics of what makes a great nurse great.

TRAITS OF A GREAT NURSE

Nursing can be a wonderful career choice, however, it’s not an easy job. Some nurses seem like they were born to be a nurse, while others may decide early on during nursing school or halfway through their career that nursing just isn’t the right career choice for them. Whether a seasoned nurse, a new nurse, or maybe someone considering a career in nursing, here are ten characteristics of what makes a great nurse great. 1. Leadership

Not everyone is a natural born leader, however, developing leadership skills throughout a career in nursing is key to being an effective nurse. Leadership skills in patient advocacy, in establishing clinical and professional standards, and communicating within a team of healthcare professionals are important leadership skills for nurses to develop.

2. Caring Nature

Nurses have a great privilege of being with people through some of their best experiences, such as having a healthy newborn, to some of their worst experiences, such as trauma and supporting families through the death of a loved one. At the core of this is caring. The concept of caring isn’t necessarily something that is taught in school; however, nurses can develop their awareness of how they show that they care in terms of communication, listening, and support. 3. Eye for Detail

Nurses have long been touted as the eyes and ears of doctors. Particularly in hospital settings where a nurse may spend 12 hours of the day with a set patient load, nurses are pivotal for detecting changes in patient status. Having a strong set of head-to-toe assessment skills is crucial for

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noticing changes in patients that can be lifesaving. Everything from the mental status of a patient to a change in the color of their fingers can be important in providing good patient care. 4. Patience

Patience for patients is a key trait in awesome nurses. Patience in listening to patients to know them well can help nurses provide good care. Explaining procedures as often as necessary so that patients are comfortable with their care, and teaching patients at the bedside or in an outpatient setting so that they can be as independent as possible with their own care are just a few of the many ways that nurses require patience. 5. People Person

It’s hard to think of an area of nursing that does not involve working with people. Even a research nurse is dealing with findings that will ultimately have an effect on patients and the people within their profession. Some nurses may find working in higher technical units, such as intensive care, may mean less talking with patients, as patients are usually intubated, but they are still working within a team and need to be comfortable working with people.

Being able to “read” people well is a uniquely beneficial skill that great nurses exhibit. 6. Love of Learning

Nursing is a lifelong learning process. As new science and research findings develop, nurses need to stay up to date on best practices for patient care and evidence-based care. Having a genuine passion for learning can make this process natural and enjoyable.

Even experienced nurses need to be open to self-reflected learning and stay current. Experienced nurses and new nurses can learn from each other as each share what they already know and what they have recently learned. 7. Emotional

Intelligence

Being able to “read” people well is a uniquely beneficial skill that great nurses exhibit. Patients who are sick and in a hospital setting are in an extremely vulnerable state. It’s key that nurses develop a sense of how to approach each patient best in order to communicate with them in different styles.

Some patients who are quite ill may prefer, and require, a clear and

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concise style of communicating, while others may be suffering from loneliness and may respond better to more discussion around their care.

10. Ethical

8. Team Player

next nursing shift taking over care, to providing patient education about their care. Treating people fairly and equally in of utmost importance Whether working independently as a home care nurse for a nurse. Nurses need to have the self-awareness or within a visible team in a hospital setting, teamwork required to identify their own biases and leave those is essential. A team can be small behind. Nurses need to be aware of including the patient, the nurse, their judgements and stereotypes and the doctor providing nursing that they may have been raised with care orders or can be huge as seen and ensure that they treat patients in some hospital settings. all the same with equal opportunity

For example, a patient in the to optimal care. For example, intensive care unit can have a nurse, judging a person with chronic pain an intensivist, a cardiologist, a as a drug-seeker and holding back respiratory therapist, a dietician, a necessary pain medication can treat physiotherapist, and a pharmacist all patients unfairly as well as cause involved, in addition to the patient detrimental physical effects. and their family. Nurses need to Being a nurse is a privilege that be comfortable sharing assessment findings and receiving input and While there are millions of allows nurses to dive deep into the personal lives of people and their feedback from the team, all in the nurses working worldwide, loved ones. While there are millions name of providing optimal care. 9. Strong Communicator Both strong written and verbal only a certain percentage of those are amazing nurses. of nurses working worldwide, only a certain percentage of those are amazing nurses. Whether new to nursing or nearing retirement, a few communication skills are important moments of self-reflection are worth for nurses to be comfortable with. Communicating as a it to consider what nursing traits make a great nurse great. nurse includes everything from effectively providing a handover summary about the status of patients to the Article provided by Constant-Content.com

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bring their passion and skills to work every day, providing exceptional care for each patient. Joining the Benefis community gives you the chance to build a rewarding career as part of Montana’s premier health system. Prestera Center provides clients and their families the highest quality of care ranging from outpatient services to 24-hour emergency care and residential substance abuse treatment.

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