Whether you are in training to become a nurse, or you interact with them during visits to the hospital or doctors office, the question often arises: What makes a good nurse?

It depends on whom you ask, but many people believe that some attributes of an individual who practices good nursing are as simple as a strong personality and the ability to problem solve. Why are these things so important to the people who find themselves to be around nurses?

Bedside manner is one of the main components of good nursing. Patients want to feel like they matter. There are few things worse than having a nurse who shows that she is inconvenienced by taking care of you when you feel the worst you have possibly ever felt.

Good nursing skills include the ability to keep control of your temper, even when dealing with a difficult, violent patient. As a tired nurse on her 11th hour of a 12 hour shift, it may be hard to watch your tongue when you have been reprimanded by a person over the watery taste of their apple juice; but if you can control your tongue in these moments, many people would consider you to be a good nurse.

Another widespread public opinion about good nursing is: strength in problem solving, and a wide range of medical knowledge. There are fewer things greater than a nurse who knows his or her stuff, and can easily communicate this to the patient.

Good nursing mainly comes down to loving the job. Even with years of medical training and a sparkling, spotless personality, if a nurse does not love her job and love helping people, good nursing is not going to be written anywhere on a reference page or recommendation. Distaste for an individual’s profession can often be mistaken for a distaste in the people the individual is working with. In the case of nursing, these people are patients, who should never feel disliked or be made to feel like a burden.

Truth be told, good nursing skills are hard to come by. People are more self absorbed these days, and this personality trend has definitely seeped into nursing. You hear stories of nurses in elder-care facilities who hurt instead of nurse and delivery room horror stories from new mothers whose birthing experiences were ruined by a negative, mean nurse.

Patience is a virtue. This is especially true in the world of health care. Good nurses are patient, strong, and thoughtful. They are thorough and kind, using positive words backed up with a strong sense of humor. Good nursing professionals are an asset to any doctor’s office, hospital, or health care facility, and should always be appreciated greatly by anyone who works above them. Good nurses are worth their weight in gold.