What is a Good Nurse?

During a hospital stay, doctor visit or any medical procedure, a good nurse is a vital part of a person’s health care needs. Nurses provide many services, from documenting vital statistics, to explaining complicated medical terminology to interacting with physicians, patients and family members. Since patients in recovery or during treatment are encouraged to focus on their own health and healing, having a good nurse can make a great difference in a patient’s prognosis and wellness, giving patients the ability to fully concentrate on their own needs.

Good nurses are smart and knowledgeable about the current trends in health care, both medically and technologically. These nurses know how to operate and translate the information relayed from new medical devices and can apply the medical results to a current care plan that is in a patient’s best interests. The field of nursing is constantly challenged to keep up with the demands that technology and research place on new therapies, medications or treatments. One way for nurses to continue to learn and grow within the nursing profession in through the many online nursing degree programs that are offered by colleges and universities across the country, helping keep nurses working while still providing valuable skills and knowledge that keep a nurse up-to-date on the latest information in medicine.

The ability to balance medical knowledge and patient care is another important aspect of a good nurse. Many people are better able to understand and interpret the information provided by medical equipment, but may not be able to properly relay the information to patients or family members. Online nursing degree programs often help cross this barrier to excellent medical care by combining current research into medical care as well as interpersonal relationship dynamics. Nurses who take a personal approach to patients and the care involved are those that are most remembered later, by family and patients alike. The nurses who take the time to connect with the emotional and intellectual natures of people are more likely to be considered good nurses, even over those with the ability to understand medical information and implement it in a beneficial manner.

Other qualities of a good nurse include the ability to organize and prioritize. A nurse may deal with one patient per shift, or dozens throughout the day. Keeping medical charts, information, medication, treatment information and all other medical concerns in mind while providing patient care is a tough job, and being able to not only organize the information but prioritize it, or patients, in the event of unexpected critical care situations, is a priceless addition to a good nurse or nursing staff. An online nursing degree can help a new nurse, or a nurse within an already established career, define priorities based on nursing specialization or through the evaluation of the nurse’s own strengths and weaknesses.

A good nurse is a nurse that cares about the patients she or he cares for. These nurses are able to not only understand technology and the information it provides, but also use that information to make decisions and recommendations to a patient or physician regarding health care, treatments or care plans. The combination of positive interpersonal relationships and astute medical knowledge is one that will help a nurse go forward in a nursing career, receiving compliments from patients, physicians and medical staff alike.

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Men in Nursing

The concept of diversity is important in all industries; perhaps especially in nursing where nurses attend to patients across the gender, ethnic, social and religious spectrums. Impacting the overall need for nurses in the medical profession is also the need for nurses from all demographics to fill positions that were classically designated for women based upon an antiquated, turn of the century belief that only women could be caregivers. Nurses, regardless of gender or other concerns, are a valuable addition to any medical facility, hospital or clinic and each bring a wide range of strengths into the nursing profession.

Historically speaking, until the early 1900s, nursing was a profession for men only. Today, only around six percent of working nurses and around 10 percent of baccalaureate and master’s nursing students are men. Given the current nursing shortage that continues to challenge the medical profession from LPN through doctorate- level nursing programs, the demand for qualified and dedicated nurses is high and for men, a career in health care that offers competitive pay, flexible hours and the ability to combine science and care giving in the hospital or clinical setting can be a rewarding career path.

One of the solutions to the nursing shortage, as well as for men interested in pursuing a career in nursing is to take advantage of the online nursing programs available from different colleges and universities. Because of the lack of faculty in college and university nursing programs, nursing school students are being turned away at an astounding rate, adding to the lack of nurses currently employed in hospitals, clinics and medical facilities. Men who may hesitate to enter into a nursing program because of implied prejudice can also take advantage of the online nursing programs, getting a feel for the profession and academics before entering into the educational environment with some experience.

It is the professional nurse, regardless of gender or other concerns that can make the difference in a patient’s life. From the youngest pediatric patients to senior caregivers, are continually proving that they are just as able to provide high quality health care to patients with the bedside manner of a nurse. With the slow, but steady increase of men in the nursing profession, the ability to continue to provide the best health care possible can increase, adding a male perspective to care giving and professional nursing duties.

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