Nurses must have a lot of knowledge and work hard to get plenty of experience. In this way, they can move forward with their careers if they want to, but they can also do their best for their patients. Yet being a nurse is about more than this. There are many specific character traits that all good nurses will share and that all people who want to become nurses must understand. The good news is that many of these character traits can be learned if you feel you are lacking in them in some way, although ideally, you will already have at least some of them if you want to do your best as a nurse.
Nursing is not an easy job, and the best thing that can happen is that you love what you do. If that is the case, you’ll find the work much more satisfying. It will still be a big challenge – all jobs in healthcare are – but if you have at least some (and hopefully all) of the following character traits, you’ll find the work to be much less of a challenge because you are, essentially, already prepared. Read on to find out some of the most important character traits for nurses to help you take the next step in your career.
Compassion
Although it is nearly impossible to put these important character traits for nurses into any order, the fact is that, if pressed, many people – nurses and patients alike – would say that compassion has to be at least close to the top of the list. A compassionate nurse is more valuable than anything else in terms of being able to take care of a patient properly, and it’s a character trait that, unlike many others on this list, is difficult to learn and find.
That’s not to say people are selfish or unkind for the most part; it’s simply that we are all so busy and focused on trying to make our own lives better that it can be hard to think of others to the degree that nurses have to – the degree that makes us more compassionate.
When you are a nurse, you are often the very first medical professional a patient will see. You are also the one they have the most contact with as you will be there to care for them in whatever ways they need, from dressing wounds to giving medication to listening to their concerns. Your attitude to them and your approach to them will color their view of the healthcare they are receiving. If they are happy with their care, studies have shown that recovery rates are faster.
A good nurse has to be able to do everything they can to help the patient, and they have to do it with plenty of compassion as well. That’s not always easy, especially in difficult situations or emergencies. It’s certainly not easy when the patient is demanding. Yet nurses have to maintain that compassionate air at all times. Could you do that? Is compassion a trait you have? Perhaps you would make a good nurse if so.
Excellent Communication
Another important quality of being a good nurse is having excellent communication skills. There are many ways in which a nurse has to communicate, and they are all vital to patient care and the smooth running of a hospital department. A nurse might need to send a message to a doctor or nursing colleague, explain a treatment plan to a patient, talk to a patient’s family and explain a diagnosis or even break the worst news. They have to speak to many different people and communicate in all kinds of ways, from actually talking to making good notes on patient charts. As you can see, being a good communicator will help hugely when you’re a nurse, ensuring that patients get the best care and that your colleagues can count on you at all times.
When nurses are able to show they are good communicators, they will also be showing they have a character trait that will make a difference in their patients’ lives. They are essentially equipped to help, using the skills they have picked up over time, whether in a healthcare setting or elsewhere. Plus, communication can be learned. Even if you are an introverted person, it is still possible to learn how to express yourself clearly. This can be done in various ways, so look online to find out what might suit you if you feel you are lacking in this area. No nurse was ever able to progress well and be excellent at their job without the ability to communicate.
If you’re not sure where to start, a good idea is to try active listening. This means listening without any distractions and giving your undivided attention to the person you are listening to. Not only that, but it means fully understanding what they are saying and how they are saying it. It also includes looking at nonverbal cues and understanding them. Once you see how others do it and the essential information they put across, you’ll be able to start doing the same thing when you talk.
Empathy
Although it might sound as though it’s the kind of character trait that everyone would have to some degree, empathy is actually rarer than you might think. It’s the ability to put yourself in someone else’s position and to understand what they are going through. Yet, unlike sympathy, which is closely linked to empathy, it doesn’t involve feeling sorry for someone. It’s more about seeing someone else’s perspective and using that information to help them in their recovery.
For many people, it’s hard to do this. Being empathetic means putting aside personal bias and being entirely objective in a situation that can be difficult to handle. It means thinking like someone else, and this is clearly going to be a challenge – after all, we are programmed to have our own thoughts and feelings, and it will always be hard to put those thoughts and feelings to one side to understand what someone else is going through. Yet this is what a good nurse has to do every day. They will constantly think like other people and see situations through someone else’s eyes. That is a character trait that makes nurses stand apart from other people, and it’s one that will help patients in every way.
Not only will a good nurse have the ability to be empathetic, but they will also have the ability to read other people. A patient isn’t always going to be forthcoming about how they feel. They might be embarrassed or trying to put on a brave face. They might not want to talk about their situation for other reasons, such as not wanting to get into any trouble. Whatever the reason, a nurse must be able to look beneath and see what is really happening. They will have to think about body language, signals on the face, and what the words they are hearing really mean, and use that to help with their empathetic stance. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to do this when you first become a nurse as it does take years of practice, but if you are already as empathetic as you can be, you’ll be on the right track.
Good At Problem Solving
There will be many times when there are problems to solve when you are a nurse. This is likely to be something that happens every day. Healthcare is not something that follows a strict routine, and although you and your colleagues might feel you have diagnosed someone properly and treated them in the right way, there could be situations where this is not the case – or at least not entirely. Something might happen that will be unexpected and confusing, and you might find that you have to investigate further and look into why the situation occurred.
In other words, you need to solve a problem and you need to do it quickly, efficiently, and correctly. In healthcare, every moment counts, and a delay could be hugely detrimental to the patient. So problem-solving accurately and promptly is vital.
The problem might not even be a medical one. It could be a family member who is causing a scene due to grief or a colleague who is upset because of something they have seen, heard, or experienced. With good problem-solving abilities, you can calm a difficult situation down and reach an outcome that will help everyone.
Problem-solving is a big part of nursing, and if you find this difficult, it could be that additional education will help. When you take on more nursing qualifications, you will learn more about medicine and healthcare and how to be the nurse you want to be. A good example is an online MSN-FNP program because this will help you when it comes to leadership as well as clinical competencies. Studying alongside your nursing work will help you know more about the problems you’re facing and the work you have to do, and it will give you a chance to move forward in your career when the time is right.
Attention To Detail
When you have good attention to detail, it means you don’t neglect any single aspect of the work you’re doing. You’ll look at all outcomes, and you’ll notice everything that is happening. It’s highly likely that to help you be more detail oriented, you’ll also be organized – another great character trait of a good nurse – because in that way, you can be sure you’re not missing anything. It might even be that you feel less comfortable when things are not neat or when precision is not a high priority. In any case, you’ll certainly be able to notice important details about your patient, their care, and everything else happening around you when you pay attention to detail.
Attention to detail is important because it’s often the little things in healthcare that make the biggest difference. This could mean the slightest change in a patient, indicating that their health is getting worse (or better), for example. It could mean a change in a colleague’s personality, which could point to them becoming stressed and burned out – something that they will need help to get past. Perhaps it will even be something you feel in yourself. You’ll know it’s time to take on additional responsibilities in your career or take a step back and take some time for yourself. Being detail-oriented in this way means that neither you nor your patients will miss out on the best care.
There are many ways you can have better attention to detail if this is something you know would help you as a nurse. For one thing, it’s crucial you understand all instructions you are given, and if you don’t, you must ask questions. Asking questions to get to the heart of the matter is vital as it will give you all the details you might otherwise be missing. Another good idea is to break all your tasks into smaller goals and work towards each separately. When doing this, you can focus on the smallest details and ensure you don’t miss anything.
Stamina
Stamina will always be important when you are a nurse, and it’s a character trait that will help you hugely when it comes to shift work and bad days. Although there are many good reasons to be a nurse and it can be the most rewarding profession, it’s important to note that it won’t always be a joyful experience. Patients will die, you’ll make mistakes, and you’ll see people at their very worst and most vulnerable. You’ll be exhausted, physically and mentally, and you’ll have to know how to take care of yourself above anyone else.
Having a good level of stamina means that on these more negative days, you will be able to keep going. You might feel drained after a long shift, especially if it is busy, but if you can build up your stamina, you’ll be able to continue, which is what all nurses have to do.
