Qualities of a good nurse encompass both natural qualities, such as empathy and compassion, and practical skills, such as strong critical thinking and communication, which take time to cultivate. What makes a good nurse is knowing your strengths and weaknesses to help you continue to learn and grow.
Nurses are compassionate caregivers and natural nurturers who have a powerful impact on patients’ lives. If you are considering a career in nursing, you may have been told you have these common qualities. While these traits are integral to nursing, there are many other qualities of a good nurse that you may not have considered.
A successful and fulfilling nursing career starts with a solid education in nursing. Harding University’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing program instills the foundational skills to be a good nurse and develops the key professional traits of a nurse to help you excel throughout your career.
If you are curious about what makes a good nurse, see the list below of the top 10 qualities and characteristics of a good nurse.
Are you ready to become a nurse? Read more to learn how to become a registered nurse in three steps.
1. Empathy
Empathy is one of the most vital characteristics of a nurse. Nurses seem to have endless intrinsic empathy. It’s part of what makes them special. However, they have learned to demonstrate this empathy while maintaining their composure and managing stress.
Understanding and sharing patients’ feelings fosters a supportive and comforting environment. It is important to note that empathy differs from sympathy. Empathy is a personal sharing of your patients’ emotions or feelings, whereas sympathy is a general but still genuine concern for your patients or others.
2. Communication Skills
Clear and effective communication with patients, families and medical teams is critical. It ensures accurate information exchange and optimal patient care. Nurses must have excellent and adaptable communication skills to keep patients safe.
A nurse’s explanations to patients and their families will usually differ from communication with members of the care team. This is especially true when explaining complex medical topics. A skilled nurse can navigate each situation tailoring their communication appropriately.
3. Attention to Detail
Nurses must possess strong attention to detail to thoroughly monitor patient symptoms and vital signs. This is necessary for early detection of complications, ensuring accurate medication and reducing risk of errors.
Additionally, nurses must meticulously document vital signs, changes in condition and patient medical history. Information noted in the medical record must be especially thorough and accurate.
Attention to detail in a patient’s chart is essential to continuity of care. The patient record is a legal document, and nurses must take extra care to avoid errors and ensure proper treatment.
4. Critical Thinking
One of the hallmarks of providing excellent care is the capacity to quickly assess and respond to complex situations — also called critical thinking. Good nurses can make informed decisions under pressure. Effective problem-solving and critical-thinking skills help nurses address patient issues safely and efficiently ensuring positive outcomes.
In Harding University’s nursing skills labs, you will put your critical-thinking skills to the test in simulations and practice scenarios. This enables you to strengthen these skills in the safety of the classroom. Once you are prepared in the lab, you will apply your skills to real-world patient care during mentored nursing clinical rotations.
5. Patience
Patience is a critical nursing character trait. Patience enables nurses to provide compassionate care while remaining confident and composed. Patience also helps nurses use active listening techniques to build trust and rapport with patients. This is essential to accurate diagnosis and ensures adherence to treatment plans. Additionally, patience allows nurses to remain calm during emergencies, enabling thoughtful decisions that ensure the best outcomes for patients.
6. Physical Stamina
Another important characteristic of a nurse is the ability to endure long shifts and physically demanding tasks while maintaining high-quality patient care. If you do not already have an exercise routine, you should start one now. Regular exercise will help maintain your physical and mental health during nursing school and throughout your career.
7. Adaptability
Nurses are known for juggling many tasks at once — patient medications, dressing changes, meal assistance and the relaying of test results to providers, for example. The ability to adapt to changes in environments, patient needs and medical procedures is a key nursing quality.
While you are in nursing school, managing everything may feel overwhelming, but school provides the perfect opportunity to practice your skills and learn to ask for help when you need it.
8. Ethical Standards
Nursing has ranked as the most trusted profession for more than two decades according to a recent Gallup poll. This is in part due to the profession’s high ethical standards. By adhering to moral and ethical principles and professional nursing standards, nurses maintain their integrity and earn the trust of patients and colleagues. In nursing, it is vital that you always tell the truth and keep your patient’s preferences and best interest at heart.
9. Teamwork
Nurses are skilled at collaborating with colleagues. This enables comprehensive and coordinated patient care. Teamwork leads to better patient outcomes, increases job satisfaction and reduces staff turnover. A strong health care team anticipates patients’ and colleagues’ needs. Good collaboration skills result in a dynamic team that runs smoothly throughout each shift.
10. Compassion
Compassion is at the core of being a good nurse. Compassion fosters trust, helping patients feel cared for and understood during vulnerable times. Compassionate care enhances patient outcomes by promoting emotional well-being and encouraging adherence to treatment plans.
Compassion in nursing also encompasses support for coworkers. It enables you to understand one another’s struggles and uplift each other.
Unsure which nursing program you should pursue? Read more to learn the difference between ABSN and BSN programs.
Learning How to Be a Great Nurse Starts at Harding University
Nursing qualities are defined by a genuine concern for patients’ well-being. Nurses consistently go above and beyond in caring for others. Their compassion and empathy foster trust and a sense of camaraderie. Nurses must also embody a strong moral code and build a cohesive health care team that promotes the profession’s holistic and patient-centered philosophy.
At the core of what makes a good nurse is a natural caregiving drive. However, an understanding of the many other important nursing qualities is essential to understanding how to be a great nurse. If you are considering a career in nursing, you likely have many, if not all, of these top 10 nurse character traits.
Students enrolled in the ABSN program at Harding University can earn a Bachelor of Science in nursing in as few as 16 months. If you have a minimum of 64 non-nursing college credits from an accredited institution, you may meet the ABSN admission requirements.
In Harding University’s accelerated BSN program, you will learn the skills and qualities to become a strong and highly effective nurse. Contact an admissions counselor today to learn how you can take the first steps toward a rewarding nursing career.