Question about technical expertise required to be a good nurse

[jcmoore07]

Hey guys,

I wanted some input about the level of technical skills/people skills involved in nursing. I am someone considering nursing as a second career. I'm 31, and I have tried a few different careers after college, including graphic design, teaching English as a second language and some government work.

I am someone with a strong interest in the psychosocial needs of patients, and I enjoy working directly with people and meeting their needs. I have always been fairly mediocre in science and math, but I have done well with the few courses I have taken post-graduation.

I am trying to bolster some confidence in myself about going into nursing, because from the research and shadowing/volunteering I've done, I think I could handle it. Part of my uncertainty has been in seeing so many 2nd career nurses who seem to have more technical backgrounds, like software engineering. I realize that different nursing specialties require different levels of technical skills, but I am trying to get an idea on if someone like me could be a successful nurse, despite these deficiencies. I appreciate any insight.

[elkpark]

There is such a wide range of possibilities available within nursing that I would say there is no single answer to your question. There are specialties that are v. heavily focused on technical skills and expertise, and more "people-centered" specialties where the focus is more on one's communication and intellectual/processing skills -- and a full continuum of options between the two extremes. :)

I went into nursing as a previous music and theater major with no science or math background beyond the courses required to graduate high school, and did just fine in school (and in my 25 years of nursing since then). My experience over the years is that an awful lot of technically proficient nurses (and other healthcare professionals) could sure stand to bolster their "people skills" (empathy, communication, basic courtesy and consideration, etc.). I would not let concerns about any self-perceived "deficiences" (and I failed to notice any in your post, even after going back and rereading it carefully ) keep you from pursuing a path you want to try.