The human touch
Nurses provide care to patients both on their own initiative and according to medical prescriptions, ensuring their well-being at all stages of their illness, be it physical or mental. They combine human qualities with technical skills to offer preventative, curative and palliative care or to improve health. Their ability to build a good rapport with the people in their care contributes to the well-being of their patients and ensures a good level of care.
Nurses are meticulous followers of the health and safety rules that apply to their technical treatment activities, as well as to procedures such as applying dressings, giving injections and taking blood.
They take their patient's blood pressure and check their temperature at regular intervals.
Nurses monitor the progression of an illness and confirm the effects of the treatment before reporting their observations to a medical professional. They ensure precise administrative follow-up of the care they provide.
Nursing is a profession with a very high level of responsibility, as any error could have consequences that directly affect the patient.
Nurses must be highly perceptive to psychological needs. They come into contact with many other people in the medical profession: caregivers, doctors, administrative personnel, patients and their families, the various hospital services that manage patient intake and discharging, the contact persons for specific examinations, and so on. Their interpersonal skills and human qualities are indispensable and hold up well even under stress and in difficult situations.
There is a constant stream of vacancies for nurses, who are in high demand. Employed at hospitals, in private institutions such as clinics, in urgent medical care, or for a home or private care service, nurses always form part of a multidisciplinary care team and cooperate with doctors, physiotherapists and social workers. Their working hours can be highly variable, with weekend and night shifts being common in hospitals and more regular hours being possible for school nurses, for example.
Skills required: interpersonal skills – an ability to cope with stress – versatility – organisation – flexibility – sense of responsibility – discipline