Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Nurse?
The healthcare sector can offer a variety of interesting, rewarding roles – and it’s easy to see why a lot of people are drawn to this line of work. It’s the perfect opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, give back to your community, and work in a career that challenges you.
While there are many different career paths to explore in healthcare, nursing is a very popular choice for those who are interested in working in this sector. It is certainly a revered role within healthcare, and historically, nurses have been dubbed as the unsung heroes of the medical team.
However, while there are numerous benefits to working as a nurse, not everyone is right for the job. It can also be a very difficult role to take on at times, so you must be certain you have what it takes to survive in this fast-paced and challenging career if you want to be successful. Below are some key things to think about to help you determine whether or not nursing is the correct path for you or not.
Strong Communication Skills
In a nursing career, you will be working will a variety of people, including other members of your nursing team, doctors, and other healthcare professionals.
You’ll also be working closely with patients and communicating with their relatives who will need your support and advice through what can be very difficult and distressing times for them. This will require you to have strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to ensure that the best quality care is delivered and the rest of your teams are supported.
Organization and Time Management
With so many patients to work with and vital information to be responsible for, you will need to be a very organized individual who is good with time management as well if you want to be successful in a nursing career.
You’ll also need to be flexible when it comes to working hours, particularly if you are employed in a hospital or a similar fast-paced healthcare environment, as it is highly likely you will be on rotating shift patterns in these establishments.
Other healthcare clinics might be able to provide more comfortable working patterns, but you do need to be willing to have some flexibility if you want to open more career opportunities as a nurse, especially during your time training to be one when it comes to your work placements and making time for your studies.
The Willingness to Learn
You will need to get a nursing degree or an equivalent qualification if you want to find employment as a nurse. This means that a willingness to learn is a must, as there will be a lot of coursework and important information you will need to retain from your nurse training. It doesn’t just stop with your degree, either.
With healthcare treatments and plans ever-evolving, you can expect to have to continue to learn even once you have become a qualified nurse and will likely have further training to complete later in your career.
If you are happy to get a nursing degree but would like a more flexible approach to your studies that will be more suitable to your current lifestyle and commitments, look at this hybrid nursing bachelor degree as an example of online learning.
The Ability to Work Under Pressure
It’s no secret that healthcare can be a sector to work in, especially for those in patient-facing roles like doctors and nurses. Not every day will be difficult, but you do need to be prepared for a variety of different challenges and pressures that are inevitable with a job like this. The high-pressure environment often leads to some common nurse burnout symptoms.
It is good to be compassionate, as this will be key when working with patients and supporting them through health issues, but you will also need to have thick skin and the ability to work well under pressure. You will also need to be someone who understands the value of self-care and make sure that you do make time for this to help look after your well-being as a nurse too.
You Enjoy Working with Others
Being able to focus and manage your workload is important, and using your initiative as a nurse will be essential in many circumstances. However, for the most part, you will be working as part of a wider team and with patients every day.
Therefore, if you do want to pursue this career, you will need to take some enjoyment out of working with others. This is not a solitary career, so if you are someone who does prefer to spend the majority of your working day alone, this might not be the best role for you within healthcare.
Helping Others is Your Main Motivation
Helping others doesn’t necessarily have to be your main motivation in nursing, but it certainly needs to be one of the top reasons why you want to get into this line of work. Nursing can offer a lot in terms of job stability, career progression opportunities, and even great salaries, depending on which way you choose to take your career.
However, with all of the challenges that this career can throw at you, the drive to help people and feel rewarded in your job because of this will be what gets you through the more difficult patches in your time as a nurse. This is a career that revolves around caring for others and supporting those who are vulnerable and in need, so this does need to be a key part of what attracts you to this type of job role.
Are You Squeamish?
The more you work in healthcare and see different procedures, injuries, illnesses, and so forth, the more used to these things you will get. Being squeamish doesn’t mean you can’t still be a nurse, but it is something that you might want to work on. It’s important to be able to retain your composure in front of patients so that you’re not making them feel nervous or self-conscious about their health issues.
It will also help you to stay focused and carry out the necessary procedures, treatments, and support for the other healthcare staff that is needed from you in these often-serious circumstances.
Being a nurse can be an incredible career choice and may be the perfect fit for you, but do remember to think about whether or not you have the traits listed above, as these will be vital to being successful in your career.
