Bright personality required??

ArwenEvenstar · May 30, 2009

I see this older post was revived....but I just had to comment. I have been a nurse 18 years and I am introverted. In fact, I would be bold enough to say that I think the introverted can make better nurses than the extroverted. Introverts tend to think more and be more observant. Many times over the years, my careful thought and observation has led me to detect a patient problem or notice an error before any one else did. Introverts also tend to be good listeners and can read between the lines well. A more quiet demeanor can be very calming for patients. All great skills for a nurse!

gonzo1, ASN, RN · May 30, 2009

I'm betting she is like this due to extreme insecurity and perhaps growing up in a situation where she had to be a "pleaser" to get along in the family. If you look at her in this respect it may make it easier to tolerate her.

Someone who starts in with this kind of banter without even waiting for fellow workers to say something shows an inability to read the crowd and let others begin the conversation once in a while.

She probably misses important cues from her patients because she is too busy trying to be perky that she doesn't hear what they are trying to say.

nickola · May 30, 2009

Thanks for your insight- I'll try to remember that she means well. It's as though she is trying out for the title of "Ms Congeniality" 24/7!! It's also true that listening is more important than talking- and that it's easier to miss things due to inattention- in fact, others have complained that she just doesn't pay attn. to what she's doing. I have suspected that she isn't happy at home & that coming to work is a relief from her home situation. It is disturbing to see her try & become BFF w/every patient she cares for- the younger patients (teens) seem more irritated by this than our elderly population- however, all this socializing puts an added burden on those of us having to pick up her slack b/c she doesn't look at the big picture. She is also very scattered & disorganized, thus making her very inefficient. I don't want to confuse personality conflict w/poor organizational skills, so I'm keeping quiet for now & trying to do MY part to see the true picture & not get caught up in how annoying she is. Thank you Gonzo1 & ArwenEvenstar for your input.

zuzi · May 30, 2009

Introvert vs extrovert personalities in their pure basic forms are hard to be found. All of us we have both of them but some time in some moments one of others is much more "ALIVE". The clue to deal with your type of personality it to know where you are, who you are and stay BALANCED. Nothing is much more worst than to see a introvert nurse always with her self, reserved and less asertive in nursing care situations. Nursing is interactions but also is time to spend alone, because you will need it. Nursing is multitasking, introverts prefer to concentrate to just one activity at time and are overhelmend with many...But knowing that, you could work on yourself. You need to find a good place to work... ER for exemple is hard to be handle by introvert people. Introvert people are analytical, very... but some time is good some time is not...you need to stay balanced. The same is for a extrovert also... who whant to be around a extrovert who talk all the time and act without thinking, or start 1000 activites and barely finish one.... you need BALANCE with your self. Now that you know yourslef good you know where you could be.

Don't dig insiede what somebody else told you...be you, look at your self, your are beautiful by who you are , not by what someone belive about you, focus on yourself and analyzing yourself.

Choosing a wrong place to work will overhelmed you, loosing your balance and acting like you are not also will waste your gorgeous personality... You will be a good nurse, choose right, stay balanced, knowing good your self ...these are secrets! Love ya!

kanzi monkey · May 30, 2009

Introvert here. And sarcastic to boot.

But empathetic, respectful, and good listener--I think my strengths lie in patient education and hearing what patients have to say, understanding how they see a situation, and meeting them where they're at. I'm relatively sucky at some RN skills--I usually ask for help with repositioning and ambulating, my bed baths are sub par, and I've had patients comment that I'm "not a mother" when putting briefs on.

I do my best. I'm happy with how I am, but know my weaknesses.

Follow your dreams.

penguin2 · Jun 18, 2009

I can relate to this-- right now I'm working w/a nurse who is so exuberant (manic) she makes my head hurt.... she can't sit still stand still or do anything w/out stopping & starting several times :uhoh3: Adult ADHD?? She comes across as phoney/fake & all of us on her shift are annoyed, but management seems to love it- not something you can really complain about, but no one is that "happy" 24/7. I have to psych myself up to be around her for 12 hrs!!

2BSure · Jun 18, 2009

My good friend from nursing school is like this, she is very much a NON-people person. As in she don't like them, period. We were both pregnant at the same time. She would get SO STINKING mad when people would come up and touch her belly, or ask her boy/girl, or all the other things people do to preggers women. I LOVED IT! What did she do to become a great nurse? Intensive care....on night turn, perfect for her. She deals with the technology side of nursing. Her patients are vented, unresponsive or transferred. Her patients visitors are home and in bed. Her unit is locked down tight.
Me? Love to hear the stories. I want to know what mom/dad liked to do on their days off and speaking of which, where did they work on their days ON? I became a hospice nurse. Different strokes. That is what is so cool about nursing.

I have to say that going bonkers because people go up and touch/rub the bump, without so much as a by you leave, is quite a normal response.

I'm just sayin'

markuskristian · Jun 18, 2009

Maybe this is just an odd thing, but 4 of the 5 pre-nursing students in my APII class are rather quiet. Actually make that 5 of 6, including myself. I think the "real" trait of nurses is empathy.

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Jun 18, 2009

I am not perky, or smiley. I am introverted, and it takes me a while to warm up to people. Nursing has forced me to be somewhat more outgoing. You don't have to be an extrovert to be a good nurse.

rngolfer53 · Jun 18, 2009

I recently talked to an RN because I was interested in becoming a nurse and she told me that I should reconsider nursing if I am not a natural "people person." As in, very talkative, bright, cheery, and smiley.
I'm not really an extroverted person. I am more introverted. And I am not the type of person who likes to talk and talk and talk. This is not to say that I am mean or cold though! I do warm up to people and I am nice (at least I hope!). I'm just more on the quiet side. Basically what I'm saying is that people would definitely never describe me as "lively" or "perky."
That nurse kind of just implied that she doesn't think I would make a very good nurse and it rubbed me the wrong way because being a nurse is my dream. It's not my fault that I am not as outgoing as her. I never have been like that.
Do you agree with this? In your experiences, do you find that nurses who have more extroverted personalities are more succcessful? Should I try to be more outgoing?

The short answer is "no" I don't agree you need to be an extrovert to be an effective nurse, even in a field like Hospice where you get to spend more time with your families than on a hospital floor.

I find that I spend lots more time listening than talking. If you have good social skills, you should be fine.

diane227, LPN, RN · Jun 18, 2009

I am not the smiling kind either but I have had very few patient complaints in my 31 years and the patients view me as competent and experienced. I do joke and talk with my patients and their families but I like to get to know them a bit first. I think they appreciate a nice, professional approach until you know what kind of person they are.

PeachPie · Jun 18, 2009

Here is an EXCELLENT article about us introverts! I'm not quiet or shy, but I do tend to internalize and think rather than talk. I'm not smiley, and I am very annoyed by people who tell me to smile when I'm deep in thought and was concentrating pretty well until they derailed my train of thought with petty observations. I am a very objective person, and I pretty much exclusively talk to people on the job for work-related stuff. Basic small talk between people who see each other pretty much every day confuses me. I know that I am a good nurse, and I too think that empathy is the backbone of the caring side of nursing. For example, I was once caring for a woman who was crying because she had accidentally soiled herself. Rather than cheerfully smile and assure her that everything was going to be all right, I adopted a sympathetic expression and told her about the time I got traveler's diarrhea by brushing my teeth in a foreign airport and soiled myself on a plane. We became very close, and she thanked me for honestly caring rather than just sunshine away.

The world is ruled by extroverts, and true to the article, they don't understand us introverts. We introverts are the ones who inconspicuously run the world via troubleshooting, critical thinking, and researching. Extroverts think that we need to come out of our shells, and some even think that we're mentally ill/shy/depressed. In reality, everyone needs to be true to their introvert/extrovert traits and do what works for them.

Another thing about smiling: In some cultures of the world (Russia, Germany), people think that Americans are very fake because they smile all the time. You won't see them smiling unless they're really happy and amongst more familiar people. Although some cultures are unnerved by what they perceive as rudeness, I like the sincerity. I myself adopt a neutral expression and smile if the occasion calls for it. I also truly believe that depending too much on smiles as body language dulls the senses to other body language. As a nurse who serves many cultures, I've learned to sense aversion of eye contact, uneasy agreements that probably mean not understanding but not wanting to seem so, and other gestures.