If you are a nurse and you are looking for ways to become even better at your job, look no further. Becoming a great nurse takes time, dedication, and practice, but the basic steps are simple enough. Here, we have gathered a list of 5 principles that will turn you into a great nurse in no time.
Be True to Yourself
The first step in becoming a great nurse is to be true to yourself. This could mean a lot of different things for different people. The first thing that might come to mind is integrity. Having personal integrity as a nurse will ensure that you stick to your values and personal work ethic. This doesn’t mean declining to treat patients because their views or values differ from your own; rather, it means being able to treat patients with whom you disagree while still maintaining your own personal standards.
Another interpretation is to make sure you pay attention to yourself and your own needs. It can be easy to let work run your life, but a great nurse takes the time to take care of herself and make sure she is well physically and emotionally. In this case, staying true to yourself means making your own health a priority.
Honor the Profession
Nursing is a noble and time-honored profession. Great nurses represent the profession well, standing as a symbol of what a nurse should be. You can honor your profession by using the skills and knowledge it has given you to volunteer at the local women’s shelter or Red Cross, or by offering community CPR training. By standing as an example to others of what the profession entails and demands, you will help them see how important it is. Another way to honor the profession is to stay current and up to date on new technologies and discoveries in healthcare. In this way, you will commit yourself to becoming a better nurse.
Respect Peers
Nursing is a team sport; it’s impossible to become a great nurse if you insist on working on your own and not interacting with your colleagues. A great nurse works well with her team members and offers everyone the same level of respect, regardless of their rank. Furthermore, you should not put added pressure onto your coworkers or add to their workload for selfish reasons. Leaving piles of work for your coworkers or arriving to work late can really affect not only your team’s ability to function well, but it can impact how they see you. A great nurse treats her peers with respect and does not add to their burden.
Work/Life Balance
It may be easy to assume that what makes a good nurse great is simply working more or working harder, but this isn’t necessarily true. Certainly, a great nurse will work hard and do more than she is asked, but she also knows the importance of having a good work/life balance. Making time for your friends and family away from work is a critical step of being better at your job as a nurse. While it sounds counterintuitive, making time to relax and enjoy your relationships will allow you to focus more on work when you are at work.
Ask Questions
One of the big differences between a good nurse and a great nurse is that, while they are both competent and intelligent, the great nurse knows that he doesn’t know everything. He doesn’t even pretend to know everything. Instead, when he has a question about a procedure, policy, treatment, or anything else, he is not afraid to ask someone who might now. The great nurse knows that it is better to admit to not knowing something than it is to pretend to know and make a mistake.
Final Thoughts
While these are not the only qualities of a great nurse, they are some of the biggest differentiators between good and great nurses. If you want to elevate your practice, pay attention to these rules and try to apply them in your own work. You’ll quickly notice a big difference!