Do Introverts Make Good Nurses: How Do I Know if Nursing is for Me?
If you're an introvert, you know it's a tough world out there. While you may enjoy people in small groups or on a one-on-one basis, situations with strangers, such as big corporate parties, job interviews, or those first few weeks at a new job when you don't know anyone can be stressful.
But while you might want to avoid choosing careers that include public speaking or serving strangers, such as motivational speaker or salesperson, your personality traits do tend to make you good at a lot of things. And one career that might be just right for you is nursing.
What Is an Introvert?
Most people aren't purely introverts or extroverts, but a combination of the two. Sometimes you may feel comfortable in a group and don't mind yammering away; at other times, you feel withdrawn and prefer to sit without uttering a word. A simple way of explaining it is that an extrovert tends to gain energy from a social situation while an introvert is likely to expend energy in a similar situation.
In general, introverts tend to focus on inner feelings rather than on external sources of stimulation. Introverts make up to 25-40 percent of the population, but as noted, not everyone tends to be 100 percent introverted or 100 percent extroverted all the time.
Introversion is also not necessarily the same as shyness or indicative of social anxiety disorder.
How Introversion Can Help You as a Nurse
Happily, many of the traits introverts tend to have may help you with nursing. For instance, even though you may not be particularly talkative, that doesn't mean you are not a good communicator. A good part of communication, after all, is listening and introverts tend to be good listeners -- a very helpful quality in a nurse.
For not only will you need to listen carefully to what your patients say, you will also need to observe them carefully, looking for signs of how they are responding to treatments, or conditions they may not even be aware of.
As an introvert, you probably tend to be observant. Since you're quieter than some of your extroverted coworkers, you may be more in tune with what's going on so that you snap to subtle changes, enabling you to catch problems and improve patient outcomes.
Introverts are also often intuitive, having developed the ability to read people. That's a big help when dealing with patients who may not be able to find words to express what's going on with them.
How Introverts Cope With the Demands of Nursing
One of your greatest coping mechanisms on your way to becoming a nurse may be your experience as a student of nursing. You'll have meaningful relationships with your fellow students and instructors that will help prepare you for your career.
Your clinicals will be similar to a dress rehearsal, as you prepare to interact with patients in a real nursing setting. Plus, diligent study and preparation can help give you the confidence you will need when you are working as a registered nurse or in some other capacity in nursing.
Some introverted individuals stress how important it is to be highly organized in all endeavors, whether it's school or professional life. Again, this helps ease stress so that you will be calmer in interactions with patients, doctors, other staff, and families.
And then there's the matter of recharging, after a day at school, your clinicals, or your nursing shift, when a lot has been taken out of you. Typically, extroverts unwind with socializing, drinking with friends, team sports, or anything stimulating. But an introvert generally needs to be away from people to recharge.
On the other hand, meditating can help you unwind, as can simple activities such as working a crossword puzzle, going for a run or walk, playing with or walking a pet, watching TV or reading, or relaxing in a sauna. Whatever activity you choose, it will be important that you find that sense of sanctuary and solace that lets you recharge after a stressful day when you've expended so much energy.
Are you interested in becoming a nurse? If you want to earn an Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN), ECPI University offers this program at an accelerated rate. For more information, connect with a helpful admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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