Nurses are usually caring professionals who provide advice and assistance on health-related issues and offer skilled nursing care.
They need to possess a keen sense of the human condition, compassion, creativity, and skill in communication.
Nurses are employed in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and homes. They help to treat people with diabetes or help children through immunizations.
Nurses may work in surgery as surgical nurses or be involved in improving the quality of life for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s diseaseAlzheimer’s disease.
What Makes a Great Nurse?
Just because you work in the nursing field, it doesn’t mean you are automatically a “great nurse” or that you are going to be successful.
There are certain steps you can take to ensure that you become a great nurse or at least a successful one.
The first step is to find an institution that will support your career and guide you along the way. If possible, get formal training at a school of nursing so your skills and knowledge will also be up-to-date. This may mean taking extra classes or even doing advanced qualifications like the online ABSN programs doing advanced qualifications like the online ABSN programs. Doing extra qualifications can only add to your career.
Secondly, when it comes to employment, choose wisely; in most cases, the experience you get is equally as important as the money you make.
If there are any opportunities for advancement or for taking on additional duties and responsibilities within the institution, take advantage of those opportunities.
Habits of Successful Nurses
If you want to take your nursing career from mediocre to success, there are a few habits that will make life easier for you and much better for the patients you are treating.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Start Listening, REALLY Listening
One of the main things that separate “okay” nurses from “great” nurses is their ability to listen to their patients.
When a patient comes in with a problem, pay attention to how they talk about the situation. Are they able to explain clearly what the problem is? Or are they using words that are unfamiliar to you? If they are using words that are unfamiliar, this could point to a language barrierlanguage barrier or possibly a medical condition.
Keep Things Basic and Understandable
When you go into your nursing job every day, always remember that the people you are treating have little or no idea of what is going on with their health issues.
This is not their fault. Everyone is different, and not everyone knows what is going on with their health.
What you have to do is keep the language simple, explain things in a clear and concise manner, and offer up visual aids to help them understand what you are talking about.
Give Them Their Space
As a nurse, you should be willing to give your patients their space.
You should never feel as though you have to crowd them just because they are ill.
One of the best pieces of advice is that you shouldn’t hover over the patient like a vulture. It’s not cute or helpful. When they want something done, they will ask for it specifically.
Remember the Golden Rule
Just like you would expect others to treat you with respect, the same goes for your patients.
Regardless of how much you may dislike them or how much they may hate you, always remember to show them kindness and respectshow them kindness and respect.
It may not seem fair, but it will go a long way toward your patient’s attitudes about getting well and about their recovery when they are in your care.
Be Creative with Your Duties
Nurses may find themselves faced with a lot of boredom and monotony every day.
That doesn’t mean you should go crazy and do whatever you want to do because, let’s face it, that doesn’t really happen too often in a nursing career.
Instead, it’s best to be creative and use your own skills to make the most of your role as a nurse.
For instance, when it comes to training new nurses in hospital or clinic situations, try taking them on some creative field trips outside of the hospital for some inspiration in finding new ways to work together. Taking them to places like an art gallery or a local museum can help them to think outside of the box.
Never Stop Learning
There’s nothing worse than a nurse who only knows how to do one thing and doesn’t want to learn any new skills.
To be a great nurse, you must keep up with the latest medical developments, illnesses, and treatments.
You have to protect your patientsprotect your patients from potentially harmful conditions or substances which may be the cause of their illness, so you need to understand how those choices are made.
The more you know about your field of work, the better you will be at your job and at protecting your patients.
Ask Questions Like a Professional
Hospital protocol may not be your strongest suit, and this is an aspect of your work that you should pay more attention to.
Understanding how the hospital system works, how tests are ordered and conducted, and how medications are prescribed can make all the difference in helping your patients recover from their ailment and get back to a normal life.
There is nothing worse than having a nurse who isn’t confident in asking questions or seeking out answers when they feel uncertain about something. It makes you look incompetent, which means your patients will feel that way too. This is the last thing you want for a patient who is already at an emotional disadvantage because of their health condition or illness.
Don’t Let Your Work Become a Job
Being a nurse is a very rewarding career, but it is also a very hard one at times.
Before you know it, you’ll be spending more time around your patients than with your own family.
This can make things very difficult if it’s not something that you really love doing.
Pay attention to your own personal needs and do what you can to find a balancefind a balance between work and the rest of your life.