What Makes Someone a Good Nurse?
As the nation’s largest healthcare profession, registered nurses (RNs) are showing no signs of slowing down — in terms of projected job growth, influence, and leadership demand. Given the significant projections of RNs’ national and global growth, understanding the qualities of a good nurse is invaluable to healthcare leaders, recruiters, and hiring managers aiming to attract and retain the best nursing talent.
With an average of 350,000 open jobs available on our talent marketplace, Nurse.com knows that the qualities of a good nurse is invaluable to employers wanting top tier talent.
As new nurses are entering the workforce, identifying and encouraging specific nursing qualities will help employers recognize strong nursing candidates for hire and understand which current nurses on staff would make great leaders.
With an estimated 5.2 million RNs in the U.S., consider these 10 qualities of a good nurse to find candidates that can successfully navigate today’s fast-paced and everchanging healthcare landscape.
Top 10 Nursing Qualities
1. Caring
While it may seem like a given, most people assume that all nurses enter the field because caring is one of their leading qualities — but this shouldn’t necessarily be an assumed nursing characteristic. Many nurses who choose the nursing career path prioritize job security, are interested in using it as a starting point for another career, or have a lack of alternative ideas/options.
But as a nursing quality, caring makes all the difference to patients. A nurse showing a natural tendency to truly care about how their patients feel (and in turn, how well they perform their job) will have a significant impact on their success in the nursing field, which makes caring a key indicator of a nurse’s success.
2. Communication Skills
Strong communication skills are critical characteristics of a nurse. A nurse’s role relies on the ability to effectively communicate with other nurses, physicians, disciplines across other units, patients, and their families.
Without the ability to interpret and convey communication correctly, medical errors are more likely to occur, patients often feel neglected or misinformed, and the entire unit will feel the impact. By prioritizing and practicing communication skills, nurses will provide safer care and benefit their patients, their unit, and the entire hospital/health system — not to mention, their long-term career.
3. Empathy
With nurses caring for perhaps thousands of patients throughout their careers, it can be all too easy to become desensitized or remember what it was like to be a nonclinical person. A characteristic of a good nurse is one that shows empathy to each patient, making a true effort to put themselves in their patients’ shoes.
By practicing empathy, nurses are more likely to treat their patients as people and focus on a person-centered care approach, rather than strictly following routine guidelines. When patients are fortunate enough to encounter these characteristics of a good nurse, it makes their care experience that much better.
4. Attention to Detail
Nurses are undoubtedly under immense pressure as they balance receiving orders from physicians with using their own knowledge skills and critical judgement to provide the highest quality patient care. Add to this combination caring for multiple patients simultaneously, and the risk for human error can seem almost inevitable.
A good nurse knows the stakes are high and that unlike in most other industries, they’re responsible for peoples’ well-being and more importantly — their lives. Having a strong attention to detail is one of the nurse personality traits that can easily and quickly determine how successful they’ll be in their role.
5. Stamina
The physical demand on nurses is perhaps one of the most underestimated aspects of their careers. Within one shift, a nurse lifts an average of 1.8 tons (roughly the weight of a hippo) with patient lifting and adjusting. Additionally, studies have found that nurses walk an average of 4-5 miles per shift.
In an average 12-hour shift, nurses exercise a unique balance of physical and emotional stamina that few other industries encounter. Effectively managing this skill is what makes a great nurse. This extremely important skill impacts nurses, their coworkers, and of course, the patients. Having sufficient stamina is one of the most important qualities of a great nurse.
6. Sense of Humor
To derive satisfaction from such a mentally and physically exhausting career, nurses that can find time for a laugh are typically more successful in their roles. Because nurses encounter varying degrees of high-stress situations, taking the opportunity to enjoy the downtime and incorporate a lighthearted attitude can provide a sense of stress relief beyond measure.
Having a good sense of humor also helps spread positivity to other nurses, patients, and their families. A good sense of humor is not only a characteristic of a nurse leader but reminds patients and their families that nurses are people, too and ultimately increases their trust and openness with sharing feedback and concerns. In especially stressful times, patients and their family members are appreciative of any efforts (no matter how small) to help bring a bit of cheer.
7. Commitment to Patient Advocacy
This concept is the foundational core tenet of healthcare from the Hippocratic Oath to nearly every hospital’s mission statement in one phrase or another: keep patients safe, deliver the highest quality of care. In other words, be an advocate for patients, with special attention on their overall safety.
As one of the leading qualities of a nurse leader, a great nurse understands that patient advocacy is a mindset that must be practiced every day, with every patient, throughout every stage of the care continuum. Many patients enter a hospital or healthcare setting disoriented, confused, and unable to truly speak up and advocate for their safety. Having a nurse that practices with a strong passion for patient advocacy will ensure they’re always fighting for the very best care for their patients.
8. Critical Thinking
While having a strong willingness to learn is an important skill in a good nurse, putting that knowledge into successful practice requires an ability to think critically — especially in high-stress situations. A nurse with highly functioning critical thinking skills is one of the most important characteristics of a professional nurse.
After years of education and training, the ability to apply clinical guidelines and best practices on the floor depends on a nurse’s ability to think critically, which is quickly noticed (either positively or negatively) by leadership, other nurses, and ultimately, patients. While this skill can be improved over time, it’s often something that comes more naturally to some nurses than others.
9. Time Management
Balancing multiple patients, stressful care settings, and competing priorities is no small feat during a 12-hour shift. Having the ability to implement effective time management is a key personality trait for nursing, as is being able to concentrate on the most critical issues first, which isn’t necessarily the patient/family that’s demanding the most.
Setting time aside for selfcare is also a crucial component to time management. Refusing to take a quick break or regroup during an especially intense 12-hour shift won’t benefit anyone involved in the care process.
10. Leadership
While most nurses approach their careers with patient care in mind, many will unexpectedly transition into leadership roles. Unfortunately, it’s all too common for this promotion to arrive without adequate training, development opportunities, or sufficient support/mentorship.
A quality of a good nurse that will become more and more valuable in the growing nursing field is the ability to successfully lead. However, if a nurse manager recognizes that their role isn’t perhaps the right fit, knowing when/how to voice that concern is equally as admirable as thriving in the role. Exercising leadership skills in any role/level of the organization shows a willingness to grow and adapt at one’s own pace. Mentorships from nursing leaders can also teach invaluable lessons on how to become a great nurse.
Insights on Recruiting and Retaining a Good Nurse
Nurse.com not only connects healthcare employers with skilled nurses but also provides invaluable data to ensure your recruitment efforts are both effective and sustainable. Contact us to learn how we can help your organization build a robust and dedicated nursing team.
By understanding what trends are occurring in nurses’ opinions of their roles and salaries, healthcare leaders, recruiters, and hiring managers can develop strategies that help nurses feel cared for and engaged with their organization — and retain staff. The insights presented in the Nurse.com 2024 Nurse Salary and Job Satisfaction Report can be used to inform your efforts to hire and retain nurses. Download your free copy today.
