Most Important Skills For A Registered Nurse At Providence Saint Joseph
Cassandra, a Registered Nurse, emphasizes that "critical thinking skills" are paramount, requiring nurses to "put the pieces of a puzzle together" and act as "the eyes and ears" for patients, intervening early to prevent life-threatening situations. This skill, combined with "the art of caring and compassion," and the "science" of medical knowledge, forms the core of effective nursing practice.
Critical Thinking, Compassion, Science, Problem-Solving, Patient Care
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
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Traits
Cassandra Ritter
Registered Nurse
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Glendale Community College, California State University, San Marcos , 2010
N/A
Biology & Related Sciences
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Medical
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Critical thinking is essential for nurses to analyze patient information and make timely interventions.
2. Nursing combines the art of caring and compassion with the science of understanding disease processes.
3. Nurses spend significant time with patients, acting as their advocates and observing for critical changes in their condition.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Critical thinking skills are very important for nurses because you have to sometimes think outside the box. We don't have x-ray vision; we have to put the pieces of a puzzle together.
We can't look at someone and know exactly what's going on. We have to put the information together and present it in a way that makes sense to other people, including physicians, so we can treat the patient.
Nurses are at the bedside, at least in my role, for 12 hours. We spend the most time with patients compared to doctors or physical therapists. Therefore, we have to be the eyes and ears and have a lot of critical thinking.
This allows us to intervene early enough to catch something potentially life-threatening from happening. I think critical thinking skills are one of the biggest components.
If somebody doesn't have critical thinking skills, which can be developed over time, it can be very difficult for them to do well at the bedside as a nurse. Nursing is an art and a science.
The art includes caring, compassion, and a bit of customer service. The science involves knowing what's happening within the body, understanding disease processes, and being able to intervene in a timely manner. Critical thinking really plays a big part in how you nurse.
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