25 Brilliant Answers To Tough Nurse Interview Questions

The Skills and Qualities Needed to Become a Competent Nurse

The following seven skills and qualities are the most important ones needed to be a competent, effective and efficient nurse. The NHS and all other great healthcare organizations, medical centers, and hospitals around the globe want to employ nurses who already have these 7 essential skills. Therefore, we strongly advise you to study these before you attend your nursing interview because there is a possibility they will ask you the interview question, what are your strengths?

NURSING SKILL #1 – Compassion and empathy.

Undoubtedly, as a nurse, you will deal with many thousands of patients over time. Each one of those patients will require you to demonstrate different levels of empathy and understanding. One of the most important skills and qualities needed as a nurse is to show compassion and understanding for a patient’s situation. By showing compassion and empathy, you will be able to quickly build a level of trust that allows you to provide the appropriate level of treatment and care.

NURSING SKILL #2 – Communication and listening skills.

Nurses are brilliant communicators! As a competent nurse, you will have to communicate with patients and their families/carers to conduct effective treatment plans and to also ascertain the most appropriate care to meet their specific needs. It is vital as a nurse that you apply effective listening skills whilst dealing with your patients.

NURSING SKILL #3 – Teamwork.

Nurses are just one element of a healthcare team. Whilst they are undoubtedly a very important part of that team, they must work alongside other healthcare professionals, including doctors, healthcare assistants, radiographers, dieticians, phlebotomists, and general administrative tasks to ensure the objectives of the healthcare organization or the NHS Trust are met.

NURSING SKILL #4 – Respect and dignity.

Respect is dignity is a vital consideration for all nurses due to the very nature of their work. This is why so many healthcare organizations and NHS Trusts insist that this is one of their most important values that all staff must demonstrate in their work. As a nurse, you will need to assess every situation to ensure each patient is respected, their needs are met and they are afforded the dignity they deserve.

NURSING SKILL #5 – Time management.

Nurses are renowned for being excellent time-keepers. As a nurse, you will need to manage and organize a large workload in respect of the patients you are caring for and you will be expected to be able to meet the demands of the role.

NURSING SKILL #6 – Critical thinking.

As a nurse, you will need to utilize critical thinking skills on a daily basis. To be able to provide first-class treatment and care for your patients, you will need to consider the best course of action to take to meet the objectives of your proposed patient care or treatment plan.

NURSING SKILL #7 – Professionalism and remaining calm under pressure.

It goes without saying that nurses are expected to act with high degrees of professionalism in their daily duties. This means acting in line with the healthcare organization’s code of conduct for all areas of work, including professional duty of candor, confidentiality, and respect and dignity. You will also need to ensure you remain calm whilst under pressure so that you make the right decisions based on the assessment you have carried out at that particular time.