The nursing profession is one of the most important in the health area. The primary role of nurses is to assist physicians in diagnosing and treating patients. However, among their main tasks is not only assisting doctors and other health personnel in almost all procedures (such as evaluations and surgeries), but they are also responsible for monitoring the patient, providing care and, in addition, they have a vital role in the dissemination and promotion of healthy practices. In this sense, the nurse’s work is one of the most demanding within the health area and one of the most important because, together with the doctors, they form an essential duo to approach any patient.
Likewise, according to figures provided by the same organisation, there are around 60 million health workers worldwide. In this sense, the profession acquires vital importance.
In other ideas, it is well known that nurses are subjected to stress and pressure. The constant dealings with the patient and his relatives, in addition to the eventualities that may arise given his job, means that specific skills are required for his successful performance.
Next, we mention the main qualities that every nurse should have for their professional practice are:
Empathy
This value is essential. Nurses must feel empathy regarding the patient’s situation and with her relatives since it is a job where compassion and concern must be present to lessen any circumstance.
ability to communicate
Although this is essential for all professionals, nurses must know how to communicate correctly: speak with empathy and, of course, learn how to listen to the patient and their relatives and, of course, to the doctors since these are the ones who give the guidelines.
Service vocation
It is very complex to practice as a nurse without having a vocation for service. The idea of this quality is the predisposition of the person to meet the needs of others. Nurses are constantly at the disposal of others: the patient, their relatives and, above all, their co-workers.
emotional intelligence
All health professionals must have the emotional intelligence to be able to face all the alterations that arise in the day to day of job, from logistical problems to the stress involved in dealing with the patient and their relatives, especially if they are in a severe state. . Likewise, the nurse mustn’t become emotionally attached to the patient or exercise value judgments about her condition; that is, he must adopt an empathic attitude but at the same time allow him to fulfil his responsibilities without getting stressed, sad or losing control.
Attention to detail
Given that one of the primary functions of all nurses is to assist the doctor, it is essential that they pay attention to all the indications provided by them or, well, they must be attentive to each process’s steps. Likewise, it is vital to take care of details to avoid errors, which can occur in dispensing a medication dose (for example) or assisting with some procedure.
Proactivity and ability to solve problems
Nurses work in a highly dynamic environment that requires rapid response and action in the face of eventualities. In this sense, the nurse must act proactively before any event occurs or, failing that, resolve, if necessary, an emergency effectively and as quickly as possible. Mental agility is fundamental to this quality.
Abnegation
Self-denial is the voluntary renunciation of one’s desires, affections or interests for the benefit of others. In this sense, self-sacrifice is one of the essential qualities for all nurses since they must have a vocation to serve others and prioritise the needs of those under their care over their own.
Physical resistance
Lastly, nurses must spend long hours on their feet and cover many on-call hours. In that sense, they must have a state of both mental and physical health that allows them to tackle long working hours without significant complications.
In addition to these qualities, it is implicit that all nurses must be honest, patient, respectful and, above all, eager to learn. Therefore, we must remember that knowledge in this area is constantly being updated.
