Even from a young age, you’re asked to think about what you want to be when you grow up. Although when you’re a child the answers you give might be amusing to some, as you start to mature, you’re expected to start thinking about potential careers more seriously. Some are lucky and have already figured out what their calling in life is at an early age, but for most, it takes time to discover what your true talents are and the things that you are most passionate about. Life can offer you plenty of experiences to help you determine where your skills are strongest, and what will make you happy in terms of job satisfaction.
While there are a lot of fantastic career paths to choose from, some of the key things you do need to keep in mind when considering your options are what they can offer you. For example, job stability, financial comfort, and opportunities to grow and be challenged so that things don’t get boring. Nursing as a career can certainly provide all these things for you, but it isn’t a role that’s right for everyone. If you’ve been considering this line of work, but you’re not sure if you have what it takes, consider the points below to help you figure out if you could be a perfect candidate for a career in nursing.
You Want to Help Others
Nursing is about caring for others, particularly those who are vulnerable and going through difficult periods in their lives. Therefore, those who want to work in nursing should have a caring nature and a drive to help others. With all the challenges that this career will throw at you, having this desire and sense of purpose to give back to your community and support those in need will help to keep you motivated and remind you why you’re doing this in the first place. There are other careers that allow you to help other people however, and they are also worth considering if this is something that you do want to make your life work about.
You Have Patience
As you’ll be dealing with patients and their loved ones who will likely feel scared or upset by their circumstances, you must have good patience as a characteristic too. This will also apply to working alongside other members of the healthcare teams who might be stressed. While you should never put up with abuse of any kind, it’s important to be able to take a step back and not take things too personally in this role. You might find that you need to calm people down as a nurse, and perhaps defuse tense situations from time to time.
A Willingness to Learn
This role will also require you to do a lot of learning if you want to be successful and deliver quality care. All nurses will need to get a degree in this field before they sit their licensure exams to become fully qualified registered nurses (RNs). Balancing your studies with your work experience placements can be tough, but it’s necessary to help you develop the essential skills that you’ll need to carry out patient care and work as part of the healthcare team. You may also want to pursue more senior paths in nursing, or practice in a specialist area. This may require you to get a higher degree, such as a Master’s for you to move from RN to NP, for example. If you’re someone who has never enjoyed studying or wants a career that has minimal academic attachments to it, then this might not be the best role for you.
In addition to getting your degree, you’ll also need to be prepared to continue to learn on the job as advancements in healthcare continue. There may also be changes to laws that affect the way healthcare professionals practice, and this may result in new training for you at a later time in your career.
You’re Well Organized
Organizational skills can be worked on, but it will work in your favor if you’re already someone who naturally likes to follow a routine and keep things in order. When you’re working as a nurse, you’ll be responsible for keeping a record of patient progress, monitoring their medications, and more. It is essential that this information is clear and correct for the safety of the patient and to make sure other members of the healthcare team are kept in the loop. You will also need to be good at managing your time effectively, as your days will be filled with various tasks that need to be completed. A good memory can also help, as you may need to retain a lot of information before you get the opportunity to write it down.
You Can Work Well Under Pressure
Although nursing as a career can be very rewarding, it can also come with a lot of pressure. This is especially true if you’re working in more fast-paced environments like hospital wards or an ER department. Working under pressure is never easy or pleasant, but if you want to succeed as a nurse, you will need to be able to cope with these circumstances at one point or another in your career. You might find that with experience this does get a little bit easier, but it will be beneficial if you’re already capable of this from the very beginning. Being able to adapt to changing situations easily is another good quality to have, as you might deal with changes in your shift patterns, have to think on your feet when patient care changes, or deal with other unexpected scenarios in your line of work.
You Want a Career That Offers Growth
While nursing is certainly not the only career that can offer professional development opportunities, it is one with various paths you can pursue with your specialist skills. A lot of nurses do choose to work in specific fields, as mentioned previously, so finding an area of healthcare that you are most passionate about that you can take your nursing expertise to is an option. You may also be interested in becoming a nurse educator, training up a new generation of nurses later in your career. If you enjoy more managerial roles, you can work your way up to becoming a head nurse. These are just a few examples of all the exciting career paths nursing has to offer. If you’re someone who would love to have a career that will allow you to grow both professionally and personally, this could be an ideal fit for you.
You’re Not Squeamish
This isn’t exactly prerequisite for potential nurses, but the reality is that you will be dealing with a lot of situations where there will be blood and other bodily fluids that can sometimes be unpleasant. Even some procedures you might need to carry out as a nurse may be a little uncomfortable to do if you are squeamish. You will get used to this over time, but it’s important to be able to retain your composure in these situations and take a more professional approach, as you need to be mindful of how the patient will feel and you want them to stay calm and be respectful of them.
You Work Well Within a Team
There will be times throughout your nursing career when you’ll need to use your initiative and be prepared to work independently, but throughout your time in healthcare, you’ll always be working as part of a larger team of specialists. You and your colleagues will be there to support each other professionally, but you may also rely on each other for emotional support at times too. Being someone who can work well with others and is prepared to go the extra mile for the sake of team morale will be beneficial. This will result in the best possible care for patients and create a more positive working environment for you, the other nurses, and the other healthcare professionals you are working closely with.
You’re an Excellent Communicator
Great communication is a skill that is useful to have no matter what your career path is, but when you’re working closely with people every day, this is even more important. Not only will clear communication be required to liaise with other healthcare professionals, but you will also need to be able to talk to patients and their family members about their circumstances in an appropriate manner. Great verbal communication is key, but equally so is written communication so that any important documents or correspondence are clear.
If the traits listed above sound like you, then you might be the perfect kind of person to get into nursing. If this is a career path that you think you’d enjoy, take some time to do further research to learn more about what to expect from this kind of work and how you can get started on your journey into nursing.