Real Talk- "Ideal" Nurse Personality?

Nurses General Nursing

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I will preface this with yes, I know that there are a variety of different personality types necessary for any job organization to run smoothly. Some people are strong in certain areas where others are weak, and vice versa.

My first question- Is there an ideal personality type in order for someone to be a successful nurse in a busy unit? By success, I don't necessarily mean job satisfaction or pay- I mean stably employed for a decent amount of time and advancing when appropriate. Do certain character traits predict who will thrive?

I am concerned about my own personality for a few reasons. I want to address the aspects that I can change ahead of time so that I can prevent potential problems.

These are issues that have come up in previous employment.

I have almost always advanced to some sort of leadership or management position because it is in my nature to try to control and organize situations. A strength of mine is to delegate. This can be perceived as being "bossy."

I am impatient with others because I think fast and move fast. I'm quick to make a decision and tend to expect the same from others. I always have a sense of urgency about everything. This has in the past made me excellent in customer service but unpopular among co-workers.

This is not to say that I'm the hated employee at work- I'm not. I usually have a decent amount of close friends but at the end of the day, I don't go to work to make friends. I always prioritize the customers over my co-workers' feelings. I assume I will do the same with patients.

I am intolerant of disrespectful talk from superiors, co-workers, or anyone really. I have read on this site that doctors can sometimes talk down to nurses. I likely wouldn't handle this gracefully. I would also not handle patient abuse well either if I knew that the patient was in a competent state of mind. That being said, I am very respectful of others and also very considerate of others. I expect it in return. I'm not the type of person who is going to eat someone's lunch. I AM the type of person who will throw someone's lunch in the trash after it's been in the 'fridge for a week.

Enough about me. For the sake of anonymity, I don't want to say too much more.

For you experienced nurses, what are some character strengths that you have or have seen in others who you view as successful nurses? Is anything I wrote about myself jumping out at you as a "red flag" that I should be aware of?

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
2 hours ago, BSNbound21 said:

I am impatient with others because I think fast and move fast. I'm quick to make a decision and tend to expect the same from others. I always have a sense of urgency about everything. This has in the past made me excellent in customer service but unpopular among co-workers.

This is not to say that I'm the hated employee at work- I'm not. I usually have a decent amount of close friends but at the end of the day, I don't go to work to make friends. I always prioritize the customers over my co-workers' feelings. I assume I will do the same with patients.

I am intolerant of disrespectful talk from superiors, co-workers, or anyone really. I have read on this site that doctors can sometimes talk down to nurses. I likely wouldn't handle this gracefully. I would also not handle patient abuse well either if I knew that the patient was in a competent state of mind. That being said, I am very respectful of others and also very considerate of others. I expect it in return. I'm not the type of person who is going to eat someone's lunch. I AM the type of person who will throw someone's lunch in the trash after it's been in the 'fridge for a week.

"Omigod", I said, "I've met the enemy and s/he is me!"

I pretty much have could have said the same things about myself. Only I would have also added something along the lines of "charming"... something like: "Initially, others find me to be rather charming". But, as Pink Floyd sang, "You wore out your welcome with random precision".

It's been a rough row to hoe at times, BSNbound, and I've taken some hard knocks but always stood behind my principles, who I am, and what I believe. I've had to temper my behavior, but that came with age, experience, and maturity.

I believe you will do well and go far.

The very best to you, BSNbound!

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

As long as you're conscientious, detail-oriented and try to err on the side of kindness, you're probably on the right track. Try not to get too hung up on the opinions of others.

When you're starting out as a student in clinical, or a new grad, do not critique your preceptor based on what you learned in class. You may well be talked down to by doctors, patients or other nurses. Sorry, that's just the way it is; you have to eat a few **** sandwiches when you are new.

As you grow in experience and competence, you will develop ways to handle the bad behaviour of others without torpedoing yourself. The best to you.

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I'd say you're most likely to do well if you learn not to take things personally. If you're the type who senses "disrespect" after every interaction (or even many of them), you're going to have issues.
Beyond that, it's good to be diplomatic and flexible.

Regarding the "old" lunch ...
Some people bring the same thing every time they work and put it in the same place. I've seen a coworker's "old" lunch thrown away by another coworker when it was actually new.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
16 minutes ago, Sour Lemon said:

Regarding the "old" lunch ...
Some people bring the same thing every time they work and put it in the same place. I've seen a coworker's "old" lunch thrown away by another coworker when it was actually new.

Sour Lemon, I consistently find your submissions to be interesting, poignant and entertaining. But the coin just is not falling into the slot with this one.

Would you mind throwing a bone to an old dog and expanding on what you mean by the quoted portion?

Thanks,

Davey (Old Dog) Do

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Smart, conscientious/prudent, kind.

2 hours ago, BSNbound21 said:

I am intolerant of disrespectful talk from superiors, co-workers, or anyone really. I have read on this site that doctors can sometimes talk down to nurses. I likely wouldn't handle this gracefully.

1. I have never been talked to in a manner more shameful than what self-important nurses have been able to accomplish 2. You don't have to tolerate it, but your intolerance better involve letting it go in one ear and out the other or else you lose (in ways both tangible and intangible). Which is fine anyway, since who wants to be exactly like that which they despise? 3. Learn to win by letting people be what they are and smartly realizing it has absolutely nothing to do with you.

(Number 3 is basically everything you need to know about this).

Best wishes ~

??

PS - Don't be the rabid fridge-cleaner.

PPS - MYOB goes a long way.

?

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Just now, Davey Do said:

Sour Lemon, I consistently find your submissions to be interesting, poignant and entertaining. But the coin just is not falling into the slot with this one.

Would you mind throwing a bone to an old dog and expanding on what you mean by the quoted portion?

Thanks,

Davey (Old Dog) Do

Someone tasked themselves with cleaning out the refrigerator and threw away someone else's lunch. The cleaner thought the lunch had been there for several weeks, but it was new. The employee just brought the same thing for lunch (or very close to it) every time they worked.

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
1 minute ago, Sour Lemon said:

The cleaner thought the lunch had been there for several weeks, but it was new.

Are we speaking metaphorically? Or realistically?

Speaking both metaphorically and realistically, if we are upfront with our lunch, aren't we putting our names on it and dating it?

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5 minutes ago, Davey Do said:

Are we speaking metaphorically? Or realistically?

Speaking both metaphorically and realistically, if we are upfront with our lunch, aren't we putting our names on it and dating it?

No, this really happened. And not everybody dates their lunch. Some of us just want to be friends.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
22 hours ago, Sour Lemon said:

No, this really happened. And not everybody dates their lunch. Some of us just want to be friends.

BWAAHAHAHAHA!!!

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

I share some of your personality traits as well. That said, it is not always a good thing to act on some of those traits, and even if it is, sometimes a little finesse can go a long way. For instance if ppl think you are "bossy" maybe it is the way you say it etc. that can be a problem; sometimes a quick decision can backfire on you when more info becomes available. Just because you can doesn't always mean you should (learned the hard way!). I tend to have a pretty blunt attitude at times (just say it how it is, no beating around the bush) but have learned that sometimes it is better for others, as well as myself, to use a little more tact (apparently bluntness can offend, who knew!) . I don't think that you should change your personality per se, just know the situation/ppl you are dealing with. Also, not everyone is going to be respectful to you, that includes MD, other nurse's, patients/families etc. There is not much you can do about that, sometimes it is better to just let it go and move on, esp with coworkers bc maybe they didn't mean anything. Like you said, there are many different personalities and it is better to just get along then to add more stress to the unit than is necessary. Sounds like you are doing OK and that you care about others (as evidenced by this post) so I think you will be fine! Now re: the lunch issue it depends. Are you the one tasked with cleaning out the frig Q week and everyone has ample notice or are you just willy nilly throwing out ppl's lunch. I once worked on a small specialty unit (as part of a bigger unit) with 4 nurses and 4 pt beds. The frig was literally 4-5 steps away from where we sat, 1 nurse was always throwing the others food away because it "wasn't marked" (even if it was and she didn't see it). There was no set day for cleaning and apparently she thought she was the food police and couldn't be bothered to simply ask before tossing it. It was highly annoying, just sayin. Those are the only reddish flags I see, good luck to you!

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On 3/31/2019 at 5:16 PM, Davey Do said:

"Omigod", I said, "I've met the enemy and s/he is me!"

I pretty much have could have said the same things about myself. Only I would have also added something along the lines of "charming"... something like: "Initially, others find me to be rather charming". But, as Pink Floyd sang, "You wore out your welcome with random precision".

It's been a rough row to hoe at times, BSNbound, and I've taken some hard knocks but always stood behind my principles, who I am, and what I believe. I've had to temper my behavior, but that came with age, experience, and maturity.

I believe you will do well and go far.

The very best to you, BSNbound!

That is very sweet. Thank you.

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