By: Karen P
Submitted: 2010-02-14 14:30:39 | Word Count: 511
When people consider a career in nursing, they most research the required educational path that they must take to accomplish their goal. While formal nursing training, including a degree in the field, is an absolute necessity for registered nurse practitioners, there is much more to being a nurse than just holding a degree and understanding the finer points of patient care. Indeed, to be effective in the nursing industry, nurses should possess a number of personal characteristics that will enable them to provide consistent, quality treatment for the patients with which they come into contact.
Probably the most important personality trait needed for anyone desiring a career as a nurse is that of compassion. Nursing is a demanding profession and the challenges faced each day are many and varied. Without the ability to demonstrate a caring attitude each and every day, nurses soon experience burnout and patient care suffers. The ability to maintain patience under the most stressful of circumstances is an absolute must, as is a capacity for remaining calm and collected when dealing with irritated and uncooperative patients.
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Nursing also requires its practitioners to be able to respond appropriately to the inevitable emergency situations that arise within a hospital or other medical setting. Nurses must always be cognizant that patients are often at their worst when undergoing medical treatment. These are periods in which there is a high level of pain, discomfort, apprehension, and even outright fear, and nurses often bear the brunt of any patient s outbursts.
Being physically fit is another crucial requirement for a successful career in nursing. At all levels of nursing, care providers are expected to spend prolonged periods of time on their feet. In fact, many of the most common tasks performed by nurses involve standing or walking. These tasks can include moving patients, assisting them in physical therapy, and making the constant rounds necessary to monitor every patient and provide necessary treatment. The constant movement required in the job can, over time, place excessive stress on backs and joints and cause substantial injuries if fitness is not maintained.
The nursing profession also requires the ability to be detail oriented and observant. The orders given by doctors must be followed to the letter, and any failure to follow those directions places patients lives at risk. In addition, even subtle changes in a patient s condition can signal serious complications. Nursing practitioners are among those who have the most contact with patients, and are often the first to notice such changes.
Finally, anyone interested in pursuing a long term career in nursing should have outstanding skills in communication. Nurses are charged with daily communications with doctors, other nurses, patients, and families, and need to be able to understand directives given to them, delegate responsibilities where necessary, and convey sometimes complicated information to patients and their families in ways that they can comprehend. Anyone who possesses all of these skills in abundance, and has a strong desire to help sick and injured patients, should have a fine career waiting for them in the nursing industry.
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