All Nurses and Midwifes follow the guidelines of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The NMC has a code which tells Nurses and Midwifes what is expected of them. In order to become a good nurse, the NMC explains that a nurse has many key charterstics, these include prioritising people, practising effectively, preserving safety and promotion of professionalism.
All nurse should prioritise their patients. It is important as a nurse that you put the care of the patients first. By doing this you are treating them with empathy, this will allow the patient to be treated with respect. Another way a nurse could prioritise patients is by treating their patients as individuals and to uphold their dignity. This is an important attribute to have as a nurse. You could demonstrate this skill by pulling the curtain around patient when they are dressing, asking them what they want to wear in order to promote autonomy. This will make the patient feel more at ease with the task that is being undertaken. A nurse could also show these skills by treating patents with kindness, respect, empathy and compassion. They should not make assumptions and they should recogonise diversity and the individuals preferences. (NMC,2018) A nurse can also prioritise their patients by being a good listener and communicator. Nurse will be communicating to patient, their families, other nurse, doctors, occupational therapist and more. So it is essential for a nurse to be a good communicator. As a nurse you must be a good listener as you will need to be listening to patients about their preferences, needs and more. If a patient has just been diagnosed with an illness they may have questions, so it is important that a nurse is a good communicator and listener. It is important that the nurse encourages and allows the patient to share their thought and opinions about their treatment and care. A nurse should always make sure that the patients physical, social and psychological needs are assessed and responded to. For a nurse to fulfil this role they must act as advocate for the vulnerable patients, they should be meeting the patients needs and they should respond compassionately to the needs of indivduals who are in their last few days/ hours of life. By doing this they will be treating the patient with respect and empathy.
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A nurse should always act in the best interest of their patients at all times. According to the NMC (2018) all nurse should “keep up with all relevant laws about mental capacity that apply in the country in which you are practising, and make sure that the rights and best interest of those who lack capacity are still at the centre of the decision-making process.”
As a registered nurse you should always respect people rights to confidentiality and privacy. This is very important in nursing as you should only pass on information about your patient to health care professionals if they need to know. They should only share necessary information. All nurse should respect the patients right to privacy in all aspect of their care.
All nurse should practise effectively. A nurse can do this by making sure that they maintain the knowledge and skills they need for a safe and effective practice. By doing this they will be meeting patient needs and meeting the NMC guidelines. A nurse can practice effectively by commutating clearly. A nurse can demonstrate this skill by not communicating to the patient and their families using jargon, they should use word that the individuals understand. By doing this it will make the individuals feel respected and it will allow them to ask question regarding what you have just told them. According to the NMC (2018) a nurse should “use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication methods, and consider cultural sensitivities, to better understand and respond to peoples personal and health needs.” A nurse can practice effectively by keeping clear and accurate records. All nurse must complete records as soon as possible in order to make the records accurate and up to date. Nurse must also take care to make sure that records are always kept securely, in order to ensure confidentiality. A nurse can practise effectively by being accountable for their decisions to delegate task and duties to others. A nurse can achieve this by making sure that anyone who is delegates a task is adequately supervised and supported in order to provide compassionate care.
In order to be a good nurse you must preserve the safety of your patients. A nurse can do this by recognising and working within the limits of their competence. A nurse can achieve this by completing required training before carrying out a role. For example, a nurse shouldn’t hoist a patient if they haven’t undertaken a manual handling course. A nurse can preserve safety by being open with patients about their care and treatment. This can be achieved by explaining fully what has happened and they should make sure the patient understands everything that is being explained. Another way in which a nurse can preserve safety is by acting without delay if they think that there is a risk to patient safety. They can do this by raising concern immediately with the appropriate person, in order to prevent an individual getting harmed. Another key characteristic of a nurse is they should always promote professionalism and trust at all times. They can achieve this by upholding the reputation of their profession at all times. A nurse can do this by being a role model of professional behaviours for students. By doing this it will help the student to learn how to be a good nurse. According to the NMC (2018) nurse can promote professionalism by providing leadership to make sure individuals wellbeing is protected. To achieve this a nurse must “identify priorities, manage time, staff and resources effectively and deal with risk to make sure that the quality of care or service you deliver is maintained and improved, putting the needs of those receiving care or service first.” I think this is very important as every health care professional should be putting the patient needs and feeling first.
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Nursing is a very rewarding but challenging job. Nurse need to have many skills and attributions. I believe the most important chartertisic for a nurse to have is a caring attitude. Caring is the heart of the nursing profession. In order to be a good nurse you have be able to care for the patient and treat them with empathy, dignity and respect at all times. Caring underlines everything you do in nursing.
Reference list:
- Nursing and Midwifery council, 2019, The Code, viewed on 15th October 2019,
- (https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/nmc-publications/nmc-code.pdf)
- Watzlawick, P., Beavin-Bavelas, J., Jackson, D. 1967. Some Tentative Axioms of Communication. In Pragmatics of Human Communication – A Study of Interactional Patterns, Pathologies and Paradoxes. W. W. Norton, New York
- Royal College of Nursing, 2019, The role of nursing staff in public health, viewed on 22nd October 2019
- https://www.rcn.org.uk/clinical-topics/public-health/the-role-of-nursing-staff-in-public-health
- NHS, 2009, The role of the nurse, NHS Employers, London, Viewed on 22nd Ocotber 2019
- https://www.nhsemployers.org/~/media/Employers/Publications/The_role_of_the_nurse_discussion_paper.pdf
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