Becoming a nurse requires a special type of person who holds a number of characteristics. How do you know if the job is the right fit for you?
Nursing is not the same as any other career. It requires a resilient personality with careful attention to detail and a heart set on helping others.
If you’re hoping to pursue a career as a nurse, now is the right time to find out if you are suited for the job! The following are telltale signs that nursing school is the right choice for you. Don’t worry, if you don’t have these qualities, you can always grow into the role! However, you’ll feel right at home during your nursing program if you are:
- Mature
Nursing is taxing to one’s mental and physical state. In a single day, nurses see several patients, all suffering a variety of ailments.
For example, a nurse might see a patient in the worst possible state that still has a positive attitude. Contrarily, nurses might be assigned to care for a much better-off patient with a completely negative “woe is me” attitude—along with everything in between.
It takes maturity to combat these completely different scenarios. For nurses, it is crucial to look past these circumstances and serve these patients to heal them, help them, and get them back home if possible.
Remember: nurses are in the business of healing, and they are in no place to judge a patient for their attitude, no matter how difficult that might seem. Therefore, nurses should be prepared for each day with an attitude of maturity, both mentally and emotionally.
- Compassionate
One of the biggest virtues nurses need is compassion. There is no place for nurses to judge patients who don’t have the motivation to get better, or those who have a negative attitude toward their hospital visit. That is not what nurses are there for.
Nurses are there to bring patients back to health. That might take assistance both physically and emotionally. Maybe a patient just needs someone to talk to. Maybe they just need someone to listen to them or offer positivity. Some patients might even need a shoulder to cry on. All nurses should have compassion for each person who is under their care, no matter what the prognosis or diagnosis. A great nurse is confident to motivate patients to get better.
- Driven
Likewise, those who are naturally driven people make great nurses. It is no secret that nurses work long, hard hours. Most nurses work double shifts, which could mean 12 or 13-hour days, sometimes 4 or 5 days each week. This job can be draining, but those who are driven are the ones who reap the benefits of promotions.
Keep in mind that a promotion isn’t a promise of less work or responsibility, either. Like most roles, a promotion in the nursing world often requires the employee to meet greater expectations than before.
Working in an active workplace—mainly while standing or moving—is another matter in itself that nurses must be conscious of. It can be tiring to work for so long. Standing or running around is exhausting, mentally and physically. Those who are driven in the field will have no problem with this requirement—but those just starting their career or education in the subject should be aware of this common requirement.
- Passionate About Health
Nurses are required to care about health—this is a basically prerequisite to the field. Therefore, anyone who is interested in the health of themselves and others might be a good candidate to become a nurse.
Individuals who care for others’ health naturally are the right type of person for the job.
- Not Squeamish
Nursing is not for the faint of heart. For example, blood is just part of the everyday job as a nurse. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Nurses can’t be scared of everyday aspects of the job.
Rather, an aspiring nurse must be intrigued by the possibilities of learning about and treating the human body. They should be excited to help people heal and feel better.
- Clear Communicators
Nurses must communicate well with the doctors, other nurses, and patients involved, clearly and effectively.
Keep in mind that all parties must be communicated with in different ways, too. For example, each nurse will learn the best way to listen to doctors and to communicate that information back to the patient in a comforting way. It’s a difficult art—but someone has to do it!
- Active Learners
The medical field is always changing with new inventions and discoveries. Therefore, nurses must be willing to continue learning as new findings in the medical world are made.
Prospective nurses should have a natural talent or interest in clear written and verbal communication, or they must at least be willing to learn. Whether that means enrolling in an online continuing education class, or returning to a campus for a refresher course on what has been established recently in the field, nurses are responsible for staying current on medical practices.
Florida National University: Nursing Made Possible
Don’t wait around until just any school’s nursing program accepts you. If you are ready to get right into the field immediately, then Florida National University (FNU) is the school for you. Get started and apply to FNU today!
