What makes one a "great nurse"?

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Dec 18, 2016

A great nurse is one who is perceived as such by others. You may think I'm a great nurse because I was able to accomplish the one thing that you struggled with, whereas another nurse may think I'm not all that because I missed the mark with dropping NG tube #7.

A great nurses realizes he or she doesn't have all the answers, isn't afraid to admit so, and isn't afraid to ask for help. A great nurses realizes there is more than one way to get the job done and knows that the team has a lot to do with one's success and rise to greatness. A great nurse recognizes and accepts diversity and is flexible enough to incorporate diversity into the delivery of care to his or her patients. A great nurse knows how to listen and knows that every task in healthcare has its value, no matter how menial (did I spell that correctly?) it my appear to be. A great nurse does all these things 100% of the time and that makes that nurse perfect, and as such, there is no such thing as a great nurse.

We all strive for perfection and do the best job we can....well, many of us do. But none of us is perfect. The things I described above will be expected of you from day one. With time, patience, and motivation, we simply get better and better...as will you. And just when you think you've mastered things, the powers that be will incorporate new, improved, and changed methods of performing old tasks. In a changing world, it pays not to get too comfortable with the way things are....that's the main reason I became a float nurse.

My three cents....

Libby1987 · Dec 18, 2016

"Great" are very large shoes to fill. To be great one must be thorough, accurate, timely, kind, fierce, tolerant, persevering, flexible..

To start off however, begin with well rested, punctual, prepared (a lot of home study/research), focused and welcoming of constructive feedback. The last one is the toughest and you should check yourself mentally before and after every shift reassuring yourself that the way to competent is an ability to take in and assimilate more non intuitive information than you thought you were prepared for. Think of the differing mindsets of successful recreational (joy) and Olympic (unrelenting determination) athletes, then combine them.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Dec 19, 2016

A great nurse is the "go to" person on the unit. If you have a question or need help with something, they are the person that other nurses direct you towards: "Go ask XXX they are really good at that".

Sour Lemon · Dec 19, 2016

There are "great" nurses with varying amounts of experience and degrees of capability. I'd say the great ones always do their absolute best, though. I'd also say that great nurses have an ability to motivate and bring out the best in other people ...patients, co-workers, managers, etc. They're the type of people that you want to help and also feel comfortable asking for help.

That, and they don't kill anybody.

RNperdiem, RN · Dec 19, 2016

As well as being the person who the other nurses go to for advise as a PP mentioned, a great nurse inspires the others around them.

In a way, a great nurse is not there for him/herself alone.

A great nurse can improve the culture of the unit. Their high standards and positive attitude effects the standards and attitudes of their fellow nurses.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Dec 19, 2016

If you want to give yourself a boost in the right direction, remember this & think about it each day as you come to work.

Today, in this place - some people will be experiencing the best day of their lives & some will be experiencing the worst day. Today marks the first day of some lives & the final day of other lives. I have a brief role in their life story... let it be positive.

I have found that it helped me maintain the right perspective. It's not about me.

kaylee. · Dec 23, 2016

The last few posts depict a great nurse to me. Greatness usually is something about the person. The great nurses I know are also great human beings. They are inspired and inspire me. They are empathic by nature, and this resonates.

All the technical skills in the world do not add up to greatness to me. Expert yes, extremely competent, sure. But greatness is a human factor, along with skills as a nurse. But the skills dont hold up the title. A grave error doesnt rescind someone's greatness. Great nurses are still fallible but maintain continual growth, and never feel "done" working on themselves as nurses and people.

NurseAgatha · Dec 25, 2016

In brief, I think a truly great nurse must equally possess all three of the following: Competency, Compassion, and Work Ethic.

You are only as strong as your weakest link.

For example, competency without compassion won't get your far, neither will compassion without competency, and so on! You get the idea. :-)

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 26, 2016

The best nurses know what they don't know and are always willing to learn something new. From anyone. You can learn good things from some folks and not so good things from others, but it's the rare person who can't teach you anything.