So You Want To Be A Nurse: But You're An Introvert

 

Today we’ll be discussing whether or not you have the personality to be a nurse.

 

I should preface this by saying that I describe myself as an introverted extrovert.

 

Initially, I keep to myself especially in crowds, but once I like you, you’re never getting rid of me. Ever.

 

Nursing is a very social profession. So if you’re someone like me, you probably try to limit all unnecessary interactions. Speaking up for yourself is particularly painful. When you get the wrong order, you’d rather eat the wrong food than complain or ask for the correct thing. You get the idea.

 

Picking nursing was a way to challenge myself. There’s no way to survive in this profession if you’re not social. You spend the whole shift talking. Talking to other nurses, doctors, PAs, NPs , Pharmacy, EVS, patients, family members, the list goes on. There are a lot of people that you’ll have to interact within your 12 hours.

 

Nursing helped me come out of my shell. I hate small talk but many times you find yourself doing it to help ease your patient’s fears.

 

Nursing helped me find my voice and speak up for myself in various situations. If you can’t vouch for yourself how is anyone going to take you seriously when you’re advocating for a patient?

 

Therapeutic communication was a particular weakness for me all throughout nursing school. I’m very cut and dry and don’t like fluff. So as you can imagine, I’d almost always get these fluffy, touchy-feely questions wrong. No matter how much I may dislike it or struggle with it, it’s necessary. It teaches you empathy. In nursing, you’ll often find yourself in awkward situations, but this is where therapeutic communication comes into play. Find the right words is a skill and can make a world of difference when easing a family member or a patient’s mind.

 

My fast advice and final thoughts:

• If you’re an introvert an interested in nursing school there’s definitely hope and room for you!
• I had many professors who believed in me and pushed me to my full potential. I never saw myself in leadership positions but here I am because someone took the time to work with the shy girl and help her come out of her shell. Through these leadership opportunities, I’ve been exposed to a world of opportunities that came in the form of scholarships and networking.
• We need more introverts to speak up for the little guys. You have something to offer and chances are you relate to a lot of people. Find your voice and advocate for your people. Who knows who you could inspire along the way.
• Be open to change. You have some work to do as well. It’s not solely the responsibility of your professors to transform you into this social butterfly.  Unpopular opinion: at a certain being shy is no longer cute.
• Nursing is a people-centered profession. I love the profession, but I struggle to talk to people. This is coming from a girl who previously worked various customer service jobs in retail and worked as a waitress before obtaining my BSN. Professions where how much money you make depends on talking to people.

 

This whole nursing thing is a journey of self – discovery. I don’t have it all figured out but the important thing is that I’m working on it constantly and chipping away at the problem. The irony in all this is that I cite communication as one of my weaknesses but in my nurse residency my preceptors have consistently stated that my communication with fellow nurses and MDs is one of my strengths.

 

 

That’s all that I have for you guys today! Definitely reach out if you have any questions on this topic or if there’s something, you’d like me to cover in an upcoming blog post!

As always, thank you so much for reading, and I’ll talk to you guys soon!