Thirteen Traits of An Outstanding Nurse

By Kevin Jack

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Thirteen Traits of An Outstanding Nurse

Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system. They work with doctors and other medical professionals to provide quality patient care and ensure quick recovery asap. In medicine, nurses are empathetic and compassionate toward patients. They are also great communicators with excellent judgmental skills when faced with demanding situations.

Nurses work in various environments, including hospitals, other healthcare facilities, or home care settings. Per the BLS, an estimated 3.04 million Registered Nurses work in the U.S. alone, with an average annual salary of $82,750.

With continuous learning and experience, only a few nurses can become leaders. It’ll take more than compassion and excellent communication skills if you want to be a nurse leader. Read on to find out the traits of an outstanding nurse.

1. Eagerness to Learn

Nurses are great learners, and this is what makes them so unique. They never stop learning because no one can stay on top forever—and this is especially true for nursing as a career because it evolves quicker than almost any other area of medicine.

This is one of the many reasons nurses must undergo extensive training and learning for career growth and development.

In the era of e-learning, various online nursing programs are offered by colleges across the country. This makes it easy for you to choose the right one based on your specific needs and interests. Registered nurses can now opt for BSN online programs that offer flexible and convenient ways to advance their careers.

2. Patience

Patience is a virtue. It is needed in all aspects of nursing, including with patients and their families, other healthcare providers, and even yourself.

Nurses must listen and care for the patient, even if they do not understand what is happening. For- example, patients may not know what you are saying or why they need to take medicine every day for the next few years. This can cause frustration on both sides; however, patience will help everyone get through these situations better.

3. Caring Attitude

Care is the most critical trait of an outstanding nurse. It is not something that can be taught; instead, it is innate in a person. Caring nurses will be able to provide the best possible care for their patients because they understand how much they mean to them and will use this knowledge as motivation when providing treatment recommendations or making decisions about patient care needs.

4. Effective Communication

Effective communication skills are an integral part of the nursing profession. Nurses must effectively communicate with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals. This can include listening and speaking clearly and confidently, showing respect, and proving authority over others in their care.

Nurses must also be able to effectively use technology such as email, text messages, or video conferencing to stay connected with patients when they’re away from their homes or hospitals.

5. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It is a critical skill for nurses, as it helps them be more effective in their work by understanding their patients’ needs. Nurses who practice empathy will also communicate better with colleagues, which can help prevent conflicts within a team if there are problems with patient care or hospital policy.

6. Compassion

Compassion is an essential quality of an outstanding nurse. Nurses must be kind, compassionate people who are always willing to lend a hand when needed or offer encouragement in times of need or sadness. This helps them build trust with their patients because they need to talk about what they are going through. A compassionate nurse will be better at getting information from the patient, as well as being able to help them in any way possible.

7. Analytical and Critical Thinking

Analytical and critical thinking are essential qualities to have as an excellent nurse. Nurses must make quick decisions and analyze situations. They must also be creative when making decisions.

Critical thinking is the ability to examine your reasoning process and to learn from experience. It is also a way to solve problems and improve your reasoning skills. Critical thinking is essential because it allows you to make good decisions.

8. Stamina

Being a nurse requires stamina because it requires you to help people who may not understand what they need or even want from you. A nurse must be able to work under stress and long hours, as well as in different environments. They must also be able to work with a wide range of patients, including those who are elderly or have special needs.

9. Detail Oriented

Detail-oriented nurses are cautious and pay attention to minor details. This helps them be more efficient when multitasking and manage more than one task simultaneously.

Nurses are responsible for recording patient information, so they must document everything from the patient’s weight and vital signs to their medications and allergies. Detail-oriented nurses also ensure that all this information is entered into a computer system accurately, which can be challenging with large volumes of data.

10. Leadership Qualities

Leadership skills are essential for nursing because it is a leadership role. Nurses must be able to make decisions and plan, which requires leadership skills. If you are interested in being an outstanding nurse, then you should become familiar with the following:

• Leading a team of nurses
• Making plans for how to improve patient care

Nurses who have these qualities will be able to lead their teams effectively and efficiently.\

11. Problem-solving Skills

When it comes to problem-solving, nurses must be able to identify and solve problems, think critically, think creatively, think abstractly, reason logically and quantitatively and conceptualize concepts.

Nurses are expected to be able to take care of their patient’s needs daily. This means that they need physical ability and mental agility to perform their duties effectively and efficiently as well as professionally.

12. Emotional Strength

Emotional strength is the ability to deal with stressful situations. Emotionally strong nurses keep a sense of humor even when it would be easier not to. They also have the skills necessary for dealing with difficult patients or colleagues.

This emotional strength helps nurses be more assertive when needed and gives them the ability to keep control

13. Flexible and Versatile

Flexibility is a trait that all nurses should have. Nurses need to adapt quickly and efficiently when faced with new situations or unexpected events like patient falls or injuries from accidents. In addition, flexibility means dealing with change—the trivial things like having your schedule changed due to an emergency.

Conclusion

As a nurse, you are in a unique position to help people. You can be effective in the lives of your patients, their families, and their loved ones. Not all nurses have the capacity to be leaders. But if you’re here reading this piece, you’re one of the few. Do the best you can, and you will achieve greatness. Good luck.