Being a Nurse: Skills To Help You that you should have........

Nursing jobs have been near the top of the job growth charts for almost a decade. The population is increasing at a rapid rate and older people are making up more and more of that population. The two most common types of nurse are the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and Registered Nurse (RN). No matter what nursing career you decide to pursue, there are many skills you will need to be able to handle the responsibility that comes with being a nurse.

Emotional Skills

While working as a nurse, you will see people at their worst and also at their best. An effective nurse needs to be caring, understanding, non-judgmental, and have a strong ability to empathize with patients from all walks of life. Patients look to a nurse not only to treat them but to educate them and offer support not only to the patient but to family members as well.
Depending on where you decide to work, you may deal with people who are very sick, disabled, or experiencing any number of physical, mental, and emotional issues. If you work in the emergency room of a hospital, you may have to handle all of these conditions every shift, every day. You will have to be strong enough emotionally to provide patients with everything they require no matter how their particular condition affects you deep down.

Intellectual Skills

A nurse needs to be intelligent, organized, and be good at multitasking. Nurses are responsible for recording a patient’s medical history accurately and asking the right questions in order to get more information when needed. When working as a nurse, you will be working with a lot of different machines and medications so it’s extremely important to know your math. You will take plenty of math classes in college but you should pay particular attention to them as math is a skill you will use daily. You will also have to know both the standard and metric systems of measurement as you will be measuring various things throughout the day.
Many nurses have a strong background in science and this is very useful because you may be around bacteria and viruses once in a while. A background in science can help you explain what exactly is going on to a patient that is sick.

Communication Skills

Language and listening skills are extremely important for a nurse. You will have to be able to communicate with doctors, patients, and your coworkers in a very fast paced environment. You should be able to listen to doctor’s orders and take perfect notes when needed. You don’t want to confuse a tablespoon with a teaspoon or a milliliter with a milligram.
If you already know or are planning on learning a second language, you will be a great benefit to any hospital, doctor’s office, or nursing home. Nurses who speak multiple languages, including sign language, have a greater ability to communicate with patients and are in higher demand and will usually get a higher salary.

Observational Skills

Nurses need to be able to spot anything out of the ordinary. This includes wounds, strange behavior, or anything that just doesn’t seem right. A good example is if you have a patient with a few deep cuts. You will have to make sure you see every cut so the doctor will know to examine it. Patients might not know why or where the problem is so it will be up to you to find out.
If you work in a nursing facility of some kind, you will get to know the residents of that home so it will be easier to notice when something isn’t right. With an ER nurse, you will have to work a little harder to get information from the patient so you can understand and locate the problem.

Physical Skills

Nursing will require a good amount of physical activity. You will be lifting, moving, adjusting, and sometimes restraining. Nurses are rarely alone and assistance is usually right outside but if someone falls, has a seizure, or requires you to move them immediately, you should be able to handle it. Nurses also do a lot of walking on shift so you should be able to walk around all day with little trouble.
While these are the top skills you will need to focus on to be a nurse, you will also need to be able to manage those around you, complete paperwork efficiently, and possibly work with finances. The best skill a nurse can have, however, is patience. You might deal with some people who intentionally push your buttons but if you are patient, it should work out just fine and you’ll have a long, fulfilling career.



Nursing has been one of the most valuable and rewarding careers for decades and data indicates that it will continue to be in high demand for decades to come. Nursing is a rewarding career that lets you help your fellow man while making a very good salary and is perfect if you love to help people and are compassionate and caring. There are many reasons why nursing is the perfect career today and they include: demand, population, and salary.

Demand

Demand is at an all time high for nurses right now because the population is growing older and the Baby Boomer generation is getting ready for retirement. There are over 2.5 million Registered Nurses (RNs) in the United States today but it’s still not enough to fill all of the positions needed around the country. Nurses are needed in long term care centers, clinics, doctor’s offices, schools, the military, and surgery centers just to name a handful of opportunities.
The high demand applies to all types of nurse but licensed practicing nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs) will be needed the most.

Population

The population is living longer thank to medical advances so there are many more senior citizens now than there were twenty years ago. These seniors need more medical care than those younger than them so more and more nurses will be needed to help provide the special care that they need. As the Baby Boomer’s begin to retire, a large portion of the nursing workforce will retire with them with the bulk retiring in the next ten to fifteen years. This is going to increase the demand for nurses even more.
As people have babies and raise families, every child will have to see a nurse dozens of times before they reach the age of 18. These children are going to need shots and check-ups and nurses take on a majority of this work. Children and teenagers are also more prone to injuries such as broken bones and scrapes and usually will need to be treated a few times for mild illnesses and infections.

Salary

While nursing is a personally fulfilling career, salary is still extremely important. In 2004, the average annual income for an RN was around $53,000 and the average annual income for an LPN was $39,000. Nurses will continually get raises over time and can be expected to work extra shifts and get overtime so the real figures are probably a bit higher than this. The average starting salary for an entry level RN is about $45,000. Specialized nurses such as a Nurse practitioner can earn over $75,000 per year and higher.
The demand for nurses will continue to rise for a very long time. Each year more and more private practices, clinics, hospitals, and care facilities open and need to hire many nurses. This gives the prospective nurse an enormous amount of opportunities and even an entry level nurse can choose from a staggering amount of facilities across the country that need them and will pay very well.





The medical field is one of the few fields still currently in high demand. As a career choice, nursing is one of the options with the best potential for employment and job security. Nurses are in shortage nationwide as are the educators needed to teach and train new nurses. There are several routes a person can choose to take in pursuing a nursing career. A person can start in the field as a nursing assistant, an LPN/LVN or a registered nurse.





The amount of schooling required and type of training will vary depending on which type of nurse you want to become. Nursing Degrees which require lengthier schooling commonly are granted more responsible job positions and higher salaries.
Before you can begin planning your career path to becoming a nurse a decision needs to be made on which type of nurse you wish to become. Some people choose to work their way up from a nursing assistant to an RN so that they may earn a salary and acquire experience in the medical field as they pursue their final goal. Other people may want to go directly to earning their RN degree and starting in the nursing field as a registered nurse. This decision should be and is usually made based on personal preferences and circumstances. Though your career path does depend on which route you elect to travel, all paths begin with a high school/diploma or a GED.

To begin a career in nursing as a nursing assistant or nursing aide, you will need to enroll in a course to obtain a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate. The program takes six to twelve weeks. Students enrolled in the course will learn the basics of the medical profession; taking vital signs, drawing blood, nutrition, infection control, anatomy, and basic nursing skills. Certified Nursing Assistants can become orderlies, home health aides, or patient care technicians. Nursing aides are needed in hospitals, nursing homes, and long term care facilities. A nursing aide must work under a nurse’s supervision. Nursing assistants can gain useful experience which can help ease the way to the next step on the path to becoming a nurse.


The next rung on the nursing ladder is becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse. In order to earn this title, a person must enroll in a state approved one year LPN/LVN program at a vocational school or community college. The program usually involves both classroom study and clinical practice. The course work is more advanced than that taught to aspiring nursing assistants. Students are taught anatomy and basic patient care. Additionally, LVN students are taught to administer medication and first aid. Most clinical practice is gained in hospitals, but can be attained in doctor’s offices or other medical treatment centers. After successful completion of the program, LVN/LPNs are required to pass a licensing program in the state which they intend to work.

The demand for LVNs is high. LVN/LPN’s work under the direction of a physician or an RN. They can take vital signs, administer injections, provide wound care, observe patients for signs of adverse reactions to medications administered. These types of services are needed in hospitals, long term care facilities, doctor’s offices, and many other areas of the medical profession. The demand is so high and the availability of LVN/LPNs so low compared to the demand that salaries offered are often very attractive. And since the demand is high across the nation, someone with this type of training can find work anywhere in the country they choose to live. And since patients need care around the clock, schedules can be tailored to fit almost any schedule.

After becoming an LVN/LPN, the next step up would be obtaining a degree as a registered nurse or RN. There are two types of RN degrees which can be pursued, an ADN or BSN degree. The AND degree is an associate degree nurse while the BSN is the Bachelor in Science Degree. The associate degree is a two year program while the bachelor will take four years to complete. Once again, the decision is based on personal need and availability, but a four year degree is preferable as it will increase the salary potential and the possibility of specializing in a specific area of nursing care. Any program you select must be accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

After completing an accredited program, a nurse is required to pass the National licensing examination or the NCLEX-RN. This is often referred to as the state board’s exam. The test can vary based on the requirements in each state. Once you successfully pass the exam, you can begin your nursing career. But if you choose to move to a new state or need to move, you will want to contact the state board of nursing to find out if you will need to retake the exam in your new state of residence before being allowed to practice there.

A registered nurse has more career options than those available to a nursing assistant or LPN/LVN.
Registered nurses can work in operating rooms, intensive care units, health clinics, doctor’s offices. RN’s are able to provide care for the majority of needs which arise in patients. Besides overseeing the work of LPN/LVNs, these nurses can also establish or alter a patient’s care plan, read and add to a patient’s medical history record, as well as providing information to patients and their families. The average salary of an RN is around $50,000 each year. Salary ranges vary based on experience, education, and location.

The options in nursing do not stop at the BSN degree. Nurses can continue with their education to become specialized nurses in various fields. Some nurses become midwives. Some become nurse anesthesiologists. Some nurses become nurse practitioners. The options really are endless in the nursing field. Statistics indicate that even though nurses comprise a majority of the professional workforce in the United States the demand is still higher than the availability of nurses. In an economic climate of uncertainty, nursing is probably the career with the best potential in terms of salary, advancement, opportunity, flexibility, and security.