Nursing is a very traditional profession. It is also a female dominated one and although men do go into nursing, they are in a minority. Not everyone is cut out to be a nurse. This is a highly-skilled job and if you decide to sign up for an online nursing program, you have to be made of strong stuff, as an online nursing degree requires three or more years of intensive study. At this point, you may be wondering if you have what it takes to enter the caring profession, so let us look at the qualities you need to be a nurse.
You Have to Be a Caring
Person
Nurses are
caring people. Most nurses enter the profession because they want to help
patients and because they want to make a difference to vulnerable people’s
lives. You can’t be a nurse without caring, so if you love to help people, this
could be the right career for you.
You Need Empathy
Nurses need
a lot of empathy. Every time you nurse a patient or deal with upset relatives,
you need to put yourself in their shoes, so you can understand exactly how they
are feeling and help them through this difficult situation.
Are You Squeamish?
Dealing
with bodily fluids is all part of being a nurse, so if you are the type of
person to keel over at the sight of blood, this is not the job for you.
Nurses have to spend a lot of time mopping up blood, clearing up urine and
excrement. You can’t be squeamish, or every shift would be horrific.
Can You Cope with
Difficult Situations?
Nursing
sick patients is never easy. Sick people often die, no matter how much you try
to keep them alive. Coping with death is never easy, but if you want to be a
nurse, you need to get used to the idea.
Are You a Good
Communicator?
Nurses are
expected to talk to patients, relatives, colleagues and senior members of staff
on a daily basis. As such, you need to have excellent communication skills and
be able to put your point across in a way people can understand.
Are You Highly Organized?
The nursing
profession is very much a practical job, but this doesn’t mean you can skip the
paperwork. There will be forms to fill in, medications to administer, and all
kinds of other admin tasks. Nurses need to be organized at all times, or
mistakes will be made that could cost lives.
Do You Enjoy Studying?
A nursing degree is hard work, but if you enjoy
studying, you should have no problems working through the program. You can even
take an online accelerated nursing program if you want to qualify in the
fastest time possible.
Can You Cope with Stress?
Nursing is
a stressful job at times, but the rewards far outweigh the
negatives. That said you do need to be able to cope with a high level of stress
if you want to be a nurse.
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