All health professionals have their strengths and weaknesses that define them. I, too, have strengths and weaknesses as a nurse. However, I shall elaborate only on my strengths as required, some of which are: communication, empathy and compassion, honesty and trustworthiness, time management, listening and understand cultural differences.
Communication is an essential element of nursing, it includes speaking and writing. Effective communication averts the occurrence of serious mistakes that can jeopardize patients’ life. Effective communication enhances nursing care and patient outcome. In the process of functioning as a nurse you will interact with different types of patients, and, therefore, you need to speak to them clearly and unambiguously and to understand what they wish to communicate with you. Communication skills are not only for patients but also for other healthcare professionals. Nurses, today, are advising policy makers, designing information technology, acting as leaders and solving problems. Success in these areas require good communication skills.
Empathy and compassion for others is another area of strength that is needed to enhance the practice of a nurse and to be successful in the nursing profession. In all areas of nursing, a nurse will administer care to patients with different health conditions, for example fear, depression, anxiety, etc. To be effective in helping patients to cope with their issues, there is a need for nurses to make patient see and feel that you care for them, that you understand them, and that you feel happy to assist them to overcome their distress which is due to their health condition.
Honesty and trustworthiness is a very important strength to possess. This is one of the basic characteristics of a successful professional. A nurse, having this strength, is an invaluable assets to any health facility today. To err is human, and if a nurse makes an unwitting mistake in the process of delivering nursing care, it is essential that he or she be honest to report and discuss the matter with his or her supervisor. Failing to do this can put patients’ life in danger. There is a need for honesty and trustworthiness in relation to medical information of your patients. Disclosure of medical information of one’s patients is not only go against the code of ethic, but it can also lead to serious consequences such as reprimand, the loss of job and even litigation.
Time management skills are a strength of a good health professional. Time is precious and it should not be squandered; instead, it should be used to achieve maximum production. As a consequence, there is a need for all nurses to have these skills if they are to be effective in the delivery of nursing care. Nurses should be able to manage their time deftly to achieve maximum result, for example use your time to address critical issues that need urgent attention and so on. And in this way, time will not be wasted.
Listening skill is yet another strength of all successful health professionals including nurses. Although it is an important aspect of communication, there is a need for all nurses to develop a strong listening skill as this will enhance the delivery of nurse care and patient outcome. If a nurse has a weak listening skill, the probability is high that he or she can miss important pieces of patient’s information that can have a negative impact on patient care. Nurses should be able to listen to instruction given, interpret it accurately and execute same accurately.
Finally, culture competency is an important tool in the hands of nurses. As the population of United States is rapidly becoming diverse, the health care system will have a daunting task to deliver quality health care to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Understanding and communicating with people from diverse backgrounds will be critical in the delivery of effective patient care. So, culture competency is a strength that all nurses should possess.
These are some of my strengths in nursing.
