Are you an
avid Grey’s Anatomy addict? While real life on the front-line as a healthcare
worker may not be as dramatic and sensational as Hollywood makes it out to be,
it is a sincerely rewarding career
with several benefits like personal growth, a competitive salary, and career
advancement opportunities.
If you’re
considering a career as a licensed practical nurse, having a few notable traits
and soft skills can help you succeed in the field. In this feature, we’ll
highlight three skills that mean a career as a practical nurse might be in the
stars for you! Plus, we’ll also highlight a bonus fourth skill that means you
should really, really consider
becoming a nurse! Read until the end to find out!
1. Detail-Oriented
As a nurse,
small actions can instill a big impact. Because of this, it’s important for you to have meticulous attention to
detail when working with patients, their families, and others in the health
care team.
On a daily
basis, some of the roles nurses take on include keeping track of multiple patients and their condition, status, vital
signs, dietary needs, medication schedules, and much more – and this is just
the tip of the iceberg! Being a nurse means that you need to be able to understand
the situation, ask the right questions, and administer the right medication at
the right time. Juggling all of these tasks while maintaining keen attention to
detail at the same time will help you become a successful nurse.
2. Empathy and Compassion
Empathy is
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Compassion
is the ability to have sympathetic concern for the suffering or misfortune of
others.
As a nurse,
you’re going to meet and work with a range of patients who are sick and injured.
Because of this, you need to be compassionate, empathetic, and nurturing to the
patients they provide care for.
As front-line
care workers, nurses need to be able to understand their patients’ conditions
and sympathetically communicate the situation with their family members and
loved ones – especially in regrettable circumstances.
3. Patience
Patience is a
fundamental virtue that nurses need to have – and it becomes even more relevant
when they see patients at their worst. As a result of this, they need to have
the ability to calmly approach situations no matter how frantic they are.
Having
patience not only helps nurses in their own role, but also helps the patient feel
calm in situations of pain or discomfort. A distressed nurse is only going to
make the patient feel more anxious.
4. Bonus Skill!
Quite often,
working in a hospital or clinic is physically tiring – especially when the role
involves having to move and be on your feet for 8 to 12 hours at a time. Most
times, responsibilities will even involve physical labour like moving heavy
equipment and patients around. Given this, those in the nursing profession need
to have the physical, mental, and emotional stamina to sustain themselves in a typical workday.
If you have the
three skills mentioned above plus stamina, then a career as a nurse is something you should definitely consider
and look into!
Learn more about the program here or contact one of our advisors below to review the admission requirements!
