Nursing has so many benefits that a lot of the time, it can feel like the ideal career. This is especially true if you want an exciting work life, plenty of chances for career progression, and want to help people. Nursing offers all these things in one job.
Yet, nursing won’t be something everyone can do well, or enjoy. There are some core values that nurses need to understand and abide by to ensure they are doing their best for their patients and their careers. With that in mind, read on to discover what some of those core values are.
Empathy and Caring
One of the core values in nursing that is overarching, and therefore is one of the most important – and perhaps the most important – is the ability to empathize with your patients and make sure they are receiving not just the treatment they need, but the care and compassion that will help them recover better as well.
Nurses are the people who are with patients the most and being able to form a temporary bond with the patient is crucial if they are to trust you and understand their condition better – which in turn can help them help themselves. A good nurse will be able to put themselves in their patient’s position and that will enable them to work with them better.
Communication
Another core value of being a nurse is having good communication skills. This might not be something that comes naturally to you, but if you know this is the case, it’s worth investigating how to strengthen this weakness.
Nurses must communicate in different ways with different people, and a nurse who can pass on information, explain things to a patient, and communicate clearly to their colleagues will go far in their careers. It makes everything much easier when there is good communication happening at all levels and between all people.
Decision Making
When you are a nurse, you’ll need to be good at making decisions, and this is another core value that you’ll have to consider. After all, when you’re dealing with life-or-death situations, being able to make quick decisions could make all the difference. Not only that, but even if other situations, such as when deciding whether an online AGPCNP degree from UIndy will be useful for you, the more confident you are in your choices, the further you can progress and the happier you will be. Getting through a shift will be much less tough when you know you are making good choices.
Experience will help greatly with this core value. However, if you find it stressful in general to have to make decisions, especially important ones, at a moment’s notice, you might find that nursing isn’t the ideal career for you. It’s fast-paced and can be challenging, and therefore plenty of research needs to be done if you intend to take this route. However, if it seems like the right choice for you, then jump in with both feet.
