What is the most difficult thing as a nurse?
- Long shifts. Nurses often work 10- or 12-hour shifts. ...
- Changing schedules. ...
- Emotional involvement. ...
- Physical demands. ...
- Exposure to illness and chemicals. ...
- Lack of nurses. ...
- Changing technology. ...
- Poor treatment from patients.
The hardest part of being a nurse is seeing a patient in pain or unhappy and being limited in the extent I can comfort them. The reality is that as a professional I can only do so much. However, I realize this helps me so that I do not become too emotionally invested in my patients."
What do nurses find most stressful about their profession? A dysfunctional organizational climate – conflict between co-workers and friction between management and staff – can cause nurses to feel unsupported and lead to even more workplace stress.
Why is nursing school so hard? The top 6 challenges of earning a BSN include the rigorous curriculum, fast pace, need for multitasking, time commitment, personal sacrifices, and NCLEX preparation. However, despite these rigors, it's possible to rise up and master how to succeed in nursing school.
- Urgent care and emergency care. Urgent care and emergency care skills involve the ability to respond promptly to medical issues a patient is experiencing. ...
- Checking and monitoring vital signs. ...
- Patient and family education. ...
- Patient safety. ...
- Technology skills.
Knowledge-Based Strengths: Computer skills, languages, training others, technical abilities. Transferable Skills: Organization, problem-solving, communication style. Personal Traits: Hard-working, team player, trustworthy, calm under pressure.
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Why should we hire you?
- What's something that you didn't like about your last job?
- Why do you want this job?
- How do you deal with conflict with a co-worker?
- Here's an answer for you.
- Are you willing to fail? ...
- How do you handle stress? ...
- What is your biggest weakness? ...
- Do you have any regrets? ...
- If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do? ...
- Are you lucky?
Reflect on your weaknesses
Spending too much time on paperwork. Paying too much attention to detail. Attempting to complete too many tasks at once. A lack of clinical experience, which may apply to recent graduates or new nurses.
Nursing is known as a stressful job since it is associated with complex job demands and needs, and high expectations, excessive responsibility, and minimal authority have been identified as the main stressors [6].
What makes nursing stressful?
Nursing is a '24-hour' job: Nurses often work extremely long shifts, which can be emotionally taxing and physically grueling. Nurses face emotional burdens: Nurses must regularly confront illness, mortality and grief, all of which can lead to significant emotional strain.
Nursing is an occupation where mistakes literally have life and death consequences. This creates stress on nurses who must be extremely careful to get everything right. On top of that, nurses in many settings are dealing with patient trauma and death, which can result in post traumatic stress.

- Don't take it personally. "Just knowing that the nastiness is not about you is a good start." ...
- Look for the underlying cause. ...
- Learn to prioritize. ...
- Show that you care. ...
- Know your strengths & weaknesses. ...
- Pay attention. ...
- Stay calm. ...
- Connect with the patient.
The first year of nursing school is hard because you're starting a new venture. Not only are you learning new information specific to your industry, but you'll also be putting that education into action. Learning facts is much different than practicing them, so stretching yourself in this new way can be demanding.
- Nurse Educator. This is one of the least stressful nursing jobs available. ...
- School Nurse/Summer Camp Nurse. If you love children, this might be the perfect opportunity for you. ...
- Nurse Administrator. ...
- Public Health Nurse. ...
- Nurse Researcher. ...
- Nurse Informaticist. ...
- Case Management Nurse. ...
- Home Health Nurse.
Institutional Nurses
These nurses administer more basic care and typically don't have to work long hours and overnight shifts, so this field of nursing tends to be low-stress. Even with less excitement, these nurses find fulfillment in providing basic and family care to those in need.
Busy or demanding shifts
Some nurses find that one of their biggest nursing challenges is that their workplace is unsafe and patient care is often compromised. For example, you are regularly witnessing inadequate delivery of care within a home or hospital you work at.
Example: “My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have a hard time letting go of a project. I'm the biggest critic of my work. I can always find something that needs to be improved or changed. To help myself improve in this area, I give myself deadlines for revisions.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
Analytical skills | Hard skills (defined by the job description) |
Communication skills | Soft skills (such as public speaking) |
Leadership skills | |
Ability to work in a team |
- Track your stressors. Keep a journal for a week or two to identify which situations create the most stress and how you respond to them. ...
- Develop healthy responses. ...
- Establish boundaries. ...
- Take time to recharge. ...
- Learn how to relax. ...
- Talk to your supervisor. ...
- Get some support.
How do you answer tricky interview questions?
Make sure your answer has real meaning. Be enthusiastic in your answer and talk about how you connect with the company's core values, its mission, and the work it does. Then, you can go into a little more detail about the specific position for which you're applying.
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those on social media. ...
- Take care of yourself. ...
- Take care of your body. ...
- Make time to unwind. ...
- Talk to others. ...
- Connect with your community- or faith-based organizations.
- Avoid drugs and alcohol.
- Who decided what's right and wrong?
- What is the purpose of setting goals if we all die anyway?
- What is freedom and does it really exist?
- Which came first – the chicken or the egg?
- What makes you, you?
- Is ageing inevitable?
- How does turbulence work?
You can say something along the lines of, “I haven't dealt with a situation like that before, but I would start by asking these questions…” You could also try something like, “That concept or situation is new to me. I'll have to look into it a bit more.”
My greatest strength as a nurse is my ability to connect with patients and provide them with compassion and care. I am also very patient and efficient in my work. My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have trouble dealing with the emotional aspects of the job.
Sample Answer:
A time when I felt like I had failed was during nursing school. I had a hard time working through a skills lab and felt like I was failing as a nursing student. I had limited experience going in and it seemed like everyone else was easily grasping the skills.
“I should be hired for this role because of my relevant skills, experience, and passion for the industry. I've researched the company and can add value to its growth. My positive attitude, work ethics, and long-term goals align with the job requirements, making me a committed and valuable asset to the company.”
According to the latest Slovenian research study [23], conducted among nurses in secondary health care, the most stressful factors are low pay, poor interpersonal relationships in the workplace, and psychological or physical abuse in the workplace.
Critical care nurses suffer the highest rates of burnout.
This is mainly due to the nature of the job, as critical care nurses work specialize in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU). As such, their work environment is constantly fast-paced, meticulous, and demanding.
What is the highest-paid nurse? Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists! Earning $195,610 annually, CRNAs earn significantly more than any other type of nurse or nursing specialty.
How do nurses stay calm under pressure?
Take a short break if possible, and focus on your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths to help calm your nerves and mind. Deep breathing can help ease stress and put you in a better frame of mind.
Example Answer
I handle stress by focusing on the most important thing: the care of the patient. I feel I owe it to my patients to stay calm and focused on them. Why It Works: This answer works because it addresses each of the three things the interviewer is looking for when addressing stress on the job as a nurse.
While answering, state what first inspired you to choose nursing as a profession. Talk about the things that excite you about being a nurse, taking care of patients, what you love the most about the job, and how you wish to make a positive impact on the lives of other people.
There are many causes of nurse burnout. Some causes are inherent to the job: providing compassionate care, working long hours, changing shift schedules, and being on your feet for hours at a time can all place serious demands on nurses.
It is said that up to 90% of what you do on the job after graduation was not learned while in nursing school. I'm not convinced the learning curve is that high, but there is a lot of on-the-job training required. Nursing is a complex profession.
Stress level- As you may know, there are many unhappy nurses due to the high-stress level associated with the profession. The US News report lists a nurse's work environment and job stress to be above average. No surprise there!
- Don't Take It Personally. ...
- Watch for Signs. ...
- Keep Calm. ...
- Empathize. ...
- Watch Your Language. ...
- Be Honest. ...
- Set Boundaries. ...
- Take Care of You.
- Remain calm, listen to what they are saying, ask open-ended questions.
- Reassure them and acknowledge their grievances.
- Provide them with an opportunity to explain what has angered them. ...
- Maintain eye contact, but not prolonged.
- Pathophysiology. In this course, students learn how different anatomical systems work and how diseases or injuries affect these systems. ...
- Pharmacology. ...
- Medical Surgical 1 (also known as Adult Health 1) ...
- Evidence-Based Practice.
- Long shifts. Nurses often work 10- or 12-hour shifts. ...
- Changing schedules. ...
- Emotional involvement. ...
- Physical demands. ...
- Exposure to illness and chemicals. ...
- Lack of nurses. ...
- Changing technology. ...
- Poor treatment from patients.
What is the hardest subject in nursing?
Pharmacology, Microbiology, and Anatomy & Physiology each have a well-earned reputation for being difficult to pass. Some students may find Cardiology, Chemistry, or even Mental Health especially trying.
- Pro: You get to help people. Many go into nursing because they feel called to help people. ...
- Con: You will see a LOT of things. ...
- Pro: There are always job openings. ...
- Con: You may feel overworked and underappreciated. ...
- Pro/Con: Life-long Learning. ...
- Nursing Has Many Sides.
Reflect on your weaknesses
Spending too much time on paperwork. Paying too much attention to detail. Attempting to complete too many tasks at once. A lack of clinical experience, which may apply to recent graduates or new nurses.
Nursing is known as a stressful job since it is associated with complex job demands and needs, and high expectations, excessive responsibility, and minimal authority have been identified as the main stressors [6].
Nursing is a physically demanding job. You're on your feet for 12 straight hours (if you're lucky; many nurses work up to 14 or 15 hours a day!), and you hardly ever get to have a real break to rest or even eat. By the time you get home, you're too tired to enjoy your free time and just fall into bed.
My biggest weakness is that it's hard for me to delegate. Sometimes I have such a clear idea of exactly what needs to happen and how it should be done. It's not always easy for me to trust that other people will do those things correctly.
- Getting caught up in details.
- Unable to let go of projects.
- Trouble saying “no” to others.
- Managing missed deadlines.
- Little experience in certain areas.
- Lacking confidence at times.
- Difficulty asking for help.
- Working with certain personalities.
- Self-criticism. I can be quite critical of myself, which can lead to negative self-talk and eventual burnout. ...
- Fear of public speaking. I am a naturally shy person. ...
- Procrastination. ...
- Issues with delegating tasks. ...
- Lack of experience with skill or software.
Critical care nurses suffer the highest rates of burnout.
This is mainly due to the nature of the job, as critical care nurses work specialize in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU). As such, their work environment is constantly fast-paced, meticulous, and demanding.
Nursing is a complex profession. KNOW this: the first year is the toughest. It takes time to develop good clinical judgment and quality time management. It takes time to learn how to recognize when a patient needs immediate intervention.
Are nursing difficult?
Nursing school is competitive to get into and challenging to get through. Because programs require many credit hours, nursing students sometimes end up taking multiple difficult courses in one semester. Think of late nights studying for exams in addition to clinicals where you'll gain hands-on nursing experience.
Most students pass their nursing program, so you can too. How many nursing students fail? According to the National League of Nursing, the dropout rate for nursing programs in the United States is around 20%.
References
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