Essay on Personal Qualities and Attributes That Are Important in Nursing

Nursing as a profession gives individuals an opportunity to make an insightful difference in peoples lives. Nurses significantly contribute to the stability and success of healthcare institutions and to the physical and mental well-being of patients and the community as a whole. Those healthcare professionals, therefore, give not only their book of knowledge but also the piece of their heart to every individual they care for. It is this act of caring and ensuring that people live in a better state of life which made me choose nursing as a career. Therefore, I believe that people who prosper in nursing and acquire the most individual fulfillment from it initiate their careers with some unique qualities which should be employed by everyone who wants to make a change in the community as a nurse.

To the point where I have reached in nursing, there are certain qualities and attributes that have been very useful in my progress as a mental nurse for the last six years. One of my leading quality is caring. I am well-conversant that an effective nurse should be understanding, non-judgmental, and empathizing with his/her patients. In my career as a nurse, I have persistently dealt with stressful conditions including traumatic events, tragic illnesses, and emergency cases. However, without the art of caring, such commitments can be simply ignored. I have, therefore, shown a lot of care believing that through it, I will save many lives. Another personal quality which I believe will be very useful in this program is responsibility. Nurses should perform all their tasks with utmost detail and accuracy. In the event that they are given the opportunity to deal with another persons life, there should be no room for errors and all nurses must responsibly carry out their obligations all the times. When the responsibility becomes their priority, nurses can be available 24 hours with limited human errors that claim a lot of peoples lives. In addition, this field also requires knowledge. Nursing needs both clinical and technical knowledge. This is coupled with critical thinking and accurate decision-making. It is for this reason that previous experience and understanding gained in earlier institutions should be applied to further understand what nurse practitioner program entails. Lastly, good communication skills are the foundation to every career; however, it is very critical in the nursing profession. A nurse practitioner must be able to communicate with patients, co-workers, and doctors in a very fast-paced environment. As such, they must listen carefully to their doctors at the same time follow direction without any difficulty and easily communicate with families and patients. In general, effective communication skills create highest of patient fulfillment while averting medical mishaps.

Cultural competency, ethical sensitivity, and Leadership and lifelong learning

Cultural competency is the ability to develop awareness of ones existence, thoughts, environment, and sensations, without allowing it to create an uncalled-for impact on individuals from other backgrounds; having understanding and knowledge of the patients culture; respecting and accepting cultural variances; and adjusting care to be consistent with the culture of the client. According to the definition, I have realized that to become a culturally competent nurse, I will need to get knowledge in my area of service in relation to healthcare practices and beliefs. As such, I will use this to handle patients equally irrespective of the cultural background, wealth status, race, and origin. It will also assist me to have an awareness of the regulations of interaction within a particular cultural group, like the pattern of communication and customs, roles within the unit of the family, and spirituality. All of these will assist me to understand the attitudes of my patients better.

Ethical sensitivity is the ability of a nurse to determine and know whether or not a particular situation involves ethical issues. It is divided into three major parts; the capability to know whether or not a condition involves ethical issues; The ability to recognize moral virtues or the ethical values in an ethical issue; and the awareness of moral intensity of an ethical issue. This is one of the most vital factors that is required in nursing. As experienced in my early endurances, nursing involves several dilemmas that require ethical sensitivity to solve the ethical dilemma that is happening daily in healthcare settings. In that regard, it will enable me to identify specific nature of disagreements and assist me in making critical judgments. Through it, I will also incorporate the four nursing principles of ethics.

Leadership and lifelong learning is the ability for the leaders to continue learning due to the changing environment that requires new ideas. Particularly, the exceptional circumstances and conditions of the technologically progressive 21st century and emerging diseases demand all leaders develop skills and knowledge through the lifelong learning since that pattern of growth is progressively being rewarded by a quickly changing environment. I will use this concept to continue learning not only to provide unique leadership skills but also to be part of the change in healthcare through discovery and innovation. This will provide solutions to the current challenges patients, workers, and healthcare as a whole are facing.

Importance of graduate education

The profession of nursing requires more educated staff for the sake of the increasing patient safety and health quality. The ANA standards of professional nursing practice signpost that it is the duty of all nurses to get knowledge and competence that reflects current nursing practice and promotes futuristic thinking. In addition, with the emergence of several diseases as a result of lifestyle and global warming, the nursing profession requires individuals who are well-versed with such issues; however, such information can only be found when one is ready to learn. As such, my graduate education in nursing will not only upgrade my career path but will also freshen my skills and knowledge on the current and emerging health issues.

The graduate education opens rooms for promotion and leadership. It will increase my confidence to rise to the challenges and contest for other positions or promotion, or basically get involved in logical discussions. There is a comprehension that the more one gets back to class and learns, the more he/she is will be aware of how little she/he knew. However, the beauty of graduate education presents the spirit of a stable leader. It provides confidence, humility, and other intangibles which many organizations are looking for from an individual. Notably, there is a diminutive argument that graduate education is critical to getting ahead when one is beginning her/his career. Several studies demonstrate that college graduates put an individual a little bit higher on the ladder hence she/he has the chance to have the leadership role and earn more.

In addition, the graduate education, especially on nurse practitioner on psychology will widen my understanding and knowledge of nursing. This will make me reach my goal of creating a positive change in the community as part of my career objective. Having worked as a mental health nurse, I have had an urge to do something else which is a bit different from what I have been doing for the last six years. One of my major career goals is to create change in the society and healthcare as a whole by providing health services. By graduating as a nurse practitioner in psychology, I shall have widened my scope of operation hence more people can actually get my services. Albert Einstein stated that The more I learn, the more I realize how much I dont know. The statement serves as an inspiration to nurses who may need a lot out of their life and career and provide healthcare services as one of their goals.

Lastly, graduate education will provide me with an opportunity to further my education to higher levels. The process of education is long and achieved by several steps. To serve healthcare to the best and bring the needed change, it is imperative to achieve the utmost knowledge and experience by advancing to the highest level of education. I am, therefore, certain that after finishing the graduate education, I will have an opportunity to go through masters and Ph.D. levels. In the end, I shall have widened my experience and knowledge and give more to the society as far as health care is concerned.