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Poll: What's the #1 trait of a good nurse?

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Poll: Never makes assumptions

Me_in_cocceticut_max50

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Posted 6 months ago

 

 




 

Ever wonder what fellow nurses deem to be the #1 important trait of a good nurse? There are certainly numerous invaluable traits that a nurse must possess. We’ve collected comments from our devoted readers who have written in to share their stories and their opinions about the most important skills, not only to thrive in a nursing team, but also to provide top patient care 

 

    

1. Jack of all trades

 I am an LPN of 21 years! I feel I have been a witness to so many experiences and situations and am grateful! Yes, the job gets so hectic and you must be a jack of all trades. Sometimes you can’t give all to everyone all the time; first and foremost is your patient!

 

Delegation is a hard job for me because I feel and think that everyone working needs to do their job, and if they don’t, then I will do it and sometimes exhaust myself mentally and physically. I do not know any other way! I LOVE being what God made me for!!!

 

  

2. Team player

 I have been a nurse in Michigan for 23 years. I have seen the changes in our technology, and tons of documentation and state regulations, and it has become quite the business for all companies, namely pharmaceuticals. What is really sad is to see the heart of nursing forced to change by all the pressure put on us. WE are mostly and hopefully in nursing for the true compassion we have for human beings. Unfortunately, a lot of people are getting into it for the “job security and supply and demand” and for the steady income. The “policies” our companies implement are a setup for failure for nurses, as we are seen as expendable, easily replaced, etc. [We have] worries about “being written up,” which leads to doom and possible termination!

 

Team support in nursing is a rare quality that is burdened to those FEW of us who still TRY to influence our other nurses to be thoughtful and kind and try to trust each other, as we are all in the same boat. Because of all these micro-sub-management positions being created, it leads to nurses becoming cruel and competitive, for more hours, positions, work stations, schedules, etc. It’s exhausting, but I stay faithful it will get better!

  


3. The right attitude

 I have been in nursing for 30 years. Med carts should be kept clean and organized, period. It just makes it easier to work. MIA nurses scare me and I wonder how they get away with it. Climbing the ladder should be via smart work and higher education. I have seen many people get manager positions without the backup they needed and were quickly demoted. Hard work, knowledge and attitude are what really help us to stay focused. My love of nursing has always been at the bedside. But above all, we must take care of ourselves first so we can be our best and do our best at work. When we leave at the end of the day, leave the job at the door. Take it off like a jacket and focus on home once you leave.

 

The problem I have noticed in nursing is the lack of support we give each other. We no longer have the post-clinical conference to hash out what just happened. We do need a place to vent, to make sense of what just happened. Be supportive of each other and be honest. Help each other grow and love each other for the individuals we all are. If you go home miserable every night, then you are probably in the wrong spot for you. Nursing is demanding—we all agree on that. Attitude is everything.

 

 

4. Humility

 I am a firm believer that a nurse who says that they have never made a mistake is a nurse who should never, ever, ever be trusted. Not even in a crisis and they are the only person in the hospital…they are too perfect and perfect people have never had that gut check moment where you are like “Oh, crap. That was really close. I have to be more careful! I could have really hurt that patient.” When a nurse is perfect, they have nowhere to improve to.

 

5. Documentation prowess

 Be the best nurse you can be and find peace of mind in that (easier said than done, I know). And when being your best isn’t enough for the borderline personality disordered clipboard-toting types, document, document, document—on your interactions with them, and anyone else you think may have a stick up their nether regions and is out to cause headaches for you. A key word with a date and time on your report sheet and a saved draft in a (non-work) email account that can be appended to are priceless when the time comes.

 

 

 

 
Me_in_cocceticut_max50

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6. Flexibility

After being in the profession for over 25 years, it is hard to believe that fellow coworkers are so petty. Gossip runs rampant and no good deed goes unpunished…I believe in returning favors, sharing your energy and time so all of us on our shift get to leave at a reasonable time and no one is left hanging. Be flexible and be kind.


 

7. Thick skin

I have been a nurse for about eight years. I have seen so many surprised faces when I walk into a room. Generally I am accepted almost immediately, but at times I am rejected. I do not take it personally, but I believe it is just a perception that all nurses should be female. I enjoy what I do very much and don’t allow negative comments to affect my work. I am glad you have started this blog to express the feelings of men in nursing.


 to: Never makes assumptions


8. Never makes assumptions

I had a very scary learning experience about a year after I began working as an RN on the med-surg floor where I had been a CNA for five years prior! I felt sooo comfortable that I got very cavalier and careless. If the IV supply drawer said 500cc NS, then that’s what MUST BE in the drawer. I picked out a bag, pierced it, hung it, left the room for 10 minutes and when I came back to hang the antibiotics, I discovered to my horror that I had hung NS with 25,000 units of HEPARIN!!! Thankfully I took it right down and the patient was unharmed, but I learned to slow down and READ EVERYTHING! That’s why they spell ASSUME the way they do!!! It makes an “a**” out of “u” and “me” when you don’t take your time and pay attention to everything you do, no matter how “simple” it may seem!


 

9. Respect

As an LPN, I have learned from many people with a variety of initials after their names. We can all help to “make or break” our fellow employees. I will be forever grateful to the CNA who taught me how to put a pull-up on a resident sitting on the toilet without removing his pants…this trick has probably saved me hours throughout the years. I once worked with an RN who pointed out the fact that a lot of RNs only have one to two more years of schooling than LPNs or CNAs, yet don’t show professional respect to them. Most of these same RNs expect to be shown respect from MDs and DOs, with approx. eight more years of schooling.


Once, when “floated” to a different floor, I overheard a CNA tell an RN that a patient had expired. The RNs reply was “You are supposed to be getting vitals, not making nursing assessments.” The CNA’s reply: “Pulse 0, respiration 0, temp. 75.8, bp 0/0. Make your own nursing assessment.”

 

 10. Ability to embrace the challenges

I work three to four 12-hour shifts that usually end up being 14-hour shifts. There is no way to prepare your body for all the mind and bodily stress you WILL endure as a nurse. But if you LOVE NURSING, you will eventually take it on as a part of your life and miss it when you’re not in the chaotic lifestyle the floor provides. It’s kind of weird, but I get bored when I am not stressed to the max. Strange, maybe; normal, absolutely!

 




Remember, “United we stand” refers to all areas of life.

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