Have you been considering a career as an enrolled nurse? It can be an incredible journey, full of reward and opportunity. But like all industries, there are unique challenges in the profession as well.
Do you have these common nursing skills and traits?
Do you have the personality type to be a successful nurse? While there’s always room to learn, there are some key traits we often find in those that succeed in this kind of field, especially in Australia.
You need to be motivated to help others
This is probably the essential cornerstone of any worker in the healthcare industry. Helping people is why you would decide to become a nurse in the first place and you would need to be willing to go above and beyond and find incredible joy and reward in outcomes that result in better outcomes for your patients.
You need to be hardworking
There can be some misconceptions that nursing is not a physical job; these are very far from the truth. There can be long hours spent entirely on your feet, rushing between wards and clocking up many kilometres in an average day’s work and you will need to be ready for that.
You need to have a strong stomach
Let’s not beat around the bush. There may be times you have to deal with some icky situations as a nurse. If the sight of a little blood or vomit makes you queasy, this is going to be a tough assignment for you.
You need to be motivated under pressure
This can be a high-stress environment and the difference between nursing and other professions is that you are dealing with the health and wellbeing of patients. Their lives are often in your hands – which is also very rewarding.
You need to have your priorities in order
Nursing is not a career you go into if you are seeking stable hours and a massive pay packet. This is a career where you need to be driven by the need to help the sick and injured and make a difference in people’s lives. That is going to mean overtime, night shifts and weekend work.
You need to be a people person
This is a job that is going to require you to work with people all day long, including patients, administration staff, orderlies, pathology, doctors and much more. Many of these people are not going to be in the best mood when you encounter them. You need to be able to remain pleasant and professional with these people throughout the entire course of your shift without being tempted to give them a piece of your mind.
You need to be organised
Again, you are dealing with people’s health and lives. When you are dealing with medications and medical procedures, organisation plays a huge role in keeping things on track. If you’re the kind that loves lists, schedules and systems, you’ll flourish.