Top 3 Qualities of an LPN

[tlc2u]

Hi to all reading this,

What would you consider to be the Top 3 Qualities of an LPN?

1. ___________________
   
2. ___________________
   
3. ___________________
   

I have obtained jobs over the years with my top 3 qualities of Honest, Dependable and Trustworthy. When looking for a nursing job I get the feeling that these qualities are not looked upon as anything special but as something expected.

I'd like to choose some of my other strong points to focus on in obtaining an LPN job and thought it would be helpful to hear from current LPN's what they consider the top 3 qualities are.

Sincerely,

tlc2u

[guest2210]

1. Compassionate

2. Empathic

3. Accountable

[NamasteNurse, BSN, RN]

Responsible, good leadership, empathetic

[lateinlifelpn]

Customer Service Oriented

Accountable

Determined

[OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN]

Customer Service Oriented

Accountable

Determined

I find your first choice very surprising.

I am very kind and personable with my patients, residents and their families, but I would never classify it as customer service oriented. I am a nurse, not a cashier.

[itsmejuli]

Compassionate, organized, accountable.

[txredheadnurse, BSN, RN]

1) Integrity

2) Courage

3) Persistance

[KaroSnowQueen, RN]

1. Knowledgable

2. Organized

2. Concerned

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

What would you consider to be the Top 3 Qualities of an LPN?

1. Excellent oral communication - patients, families, coworkers, doctors, and others absolutely depend on what you say, so it must be said clearly and succinctly. A failure to communicate a change in condition could result in an unnecessary death.

2. Good social skills, also known as interpersonal skills - LPNs must deal with multiple people from varying ladders of society on a daily basis, so it is of the utmost importance that they possess great social skills and the ability to adapt to different individuals. If you have poor interpersonal skills and don't like people, you will have a difficult time in nursing.

3. Prioritization - Knowing which duties to complete first, how to organize one's day, juggling various responsibilities, and managing time is integral to the LPN's success.

[Leelee2]

1) compassionate

2) accurate

3) advocate

[Blues_Rider]

In my opinion, you have a narrow concept of customer service if you think only cashiers are involved in delivering customer service. I am a recently graduated/LPN that has been involved in healthcare delivery for over 5 years and have had customer service ideas emphasized to me both at work and in school. Because of this, I wanted to respond to your comment that I took as, in a way, being demeaning towards customer service. Please let me make my case with two internet sources available to everyone.

Here is a link to an article by Donna Cardillo, RN, MA that was published in the ANA journal American Nurse Today:

Nurses and customer service: A new annoyance or an old standard? - American Nurse Today

Quoting from the article:

Let's be clear on what we're talking about and not taking about here. The phrase customer service” is an umbrella term that refers to how a person or entity (healthcare facility, professional association, business, individual practitioner) treats the people they serve. By serve” I mean, in our case, tending to those who come to us for care, help, advice, healthcare services. The phrase customer service” is not synonymous with waiting on people” such as a server in a restaurant or a sales associate in a retail store would do. Nor does it imply that those we serve must be called customers” rather than patients.” It's the concept not the terminology that matters. The phrase is universal.

I am not claiming to be an expert, but customer service is definitely a part of healthcare delivery today. If readers don't think customer service is a hot topic in the delivery of nursing care, just Google [ "customer service" nursing standard of practice] and you will find numerous articles on the topic.

Besides the link above, here is another link, this one to a 12 slide presentation, located at http://www.slideshare.net/malyndajfox/pp-6-customer-service that appears to have been presented Oct 12, 2012 in support of National Healthcare Standard- Standard 6- Customer service. Slide 9 presents facts about customer service:

[*=1]A good experience is told to 8 people, and bad experience to 22!
[*=1]7 out of 10 patients who change providers do so because of poor service or indifference toward them.
[*=1]Satisfying and retaining current patients is 3-10 times cheaper than attracting new patients.
[*=1]70% of complaining patients will return if you resolve the complaint in their favor.

My hope in presenting all of this is that you, and other readers who may have 'liked' your comment, will come to embrace the concept of customer service as being a vital component to the delivery of healthcare.

[ReInventYourself]

Don't be surprised. This is the business we are in and the customer (patient) is always right. This includes the patient family member(s) as well. When I was a nursing instructor I always told my LVN students to be mindful of that in their nursing practice.