Happy National Nurses Day

At Judge, we partner with, place, and employ thousands of nurses every year. Our staffing teams are tasked with matching great nurses to great organizations and do so because we understand the role of our nurses at home and on the job.

We strive to support our nurses and place them with organizations that will care about them as much as we do. Because we also understand a thing or two about the qualities that make a great nurse, and recognize these qualities in exceptional nurses, I would like to highlight the qualities we see – in honor of nurses everywhere.

Qualities we see in exceptional nurses

Empathy and Emotional Stability

No description of a great nurse is complete without highlighting traits like empathy and compassion. When patients are vulnerable — whether scared, sick, or deeply troubled or saddened — there is nothing more consoling than a professional nurse by their side, standing with strength, kindness, compassion, and understanding. However, nurses are also sometimes looked to as a rock in a sea, solid and dependable for families during the storm of their sorrows.

Technical Skills and Attention to Detail

I decided to list this second for a reason. Most of us are aware that nurses tend to be emotionally resilient. But sometimes, we are so quick to celebrate the soft skills, that we lose focus on the medical skills nurses must learn, refine, and maintain every single day. Great nurses are highly skilled and technically trained, they take pride in completing tasks accurately, and they are vigilant on the floor to avoid errors.

Communication Skills

As if it weren’t enough to be both empathic and skilled practitioners, great nurses must also be excellent communicators. A nurse needs to know when to be gentle with a patient, assertive with a doctor, and comfortable asking for help. Great nurses leave the stress of their everyday lives behind to maximize the quality of care they provide. This is not easy to do, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Speaking of which…

Versatility

Simply put, nurses’ duties are rarely straightforward and predictable. They can vary from day to day, requiring the ability to wear many hats! The ability to switch on a dime is one of the most impressive skills great nurses possess. Travel nurses are known even more for their ability to do this – often adapting to different departments or patients than expected or desired.

Problem Solving Skills

Patient health can be a puzzle. Sometimes, it’s obvious which pieces fit together. Other times, the next steps aren’t always clear. No one has a better eye on a patient minute by minute, hour by hour than nurses do. Doctors are tasked with making key treatment decisions, but nurses have a bird’s eye view of a patient’s health and can leverage this knowledge in important ways.

At the end of the day, these are just a few of the many important nursing characteristics we see in our healthcare professionals that remind us just how exceptional nurses are. So, I ask you to join me in recognizing, thanking, and celebrating the talented nurses who keep us safe and healthy, the nurses who stand and hold our hand in our grief, and who look out for patients – whether the patient realizes or not.

Thank you nurses across the world. You have been the heroes of the pandemic — but you were heroes long before it too. We look forward to the privilege of working with you for many years to come.