What are the top three skills needed to be an excellent nurse?

Focus on reviewing the job announcement before your interview and use three of the skills listed in the job description to describe the organization's ideal candidate. If you name three skills mentioned in the job description, the interviewer will see that you have the qualities they are looking for. Be sure to say why these skills are essential to your profession.

"The top three skills one needs are compassion, communication, and problem-solving skills. A great deal of compassion is required when working with sick and injured patients and their family members. Written and verbal communication is essential when writing reports and communicating with coworkers and patients. Excellent nurses are analytical thinkers and able to dissect complex problems, extract data, and problem solve."

"The top three skills needed to be an excellent nurse are flexibility, compassion, and curiosity. Nurses must be flexible to handle shifts in staffing, changes in a patient's condition, and even a brand new assignment during their shift. When I worked as a travel nurse, I sometimes took care of one set of patients from 1900-2300, and then I was floated to a different unit for the remainder of my shift (2300-0700). Although this was very challenging at first, I became very efficient at assessing and administering nighttime medications to one set of patients and completing all of my charting for these patients within 4 hours. Compassion is a must, as nurses are often seeing patients during a very difficult time in the patient's life. And we must have curiosity because we will continually encounter different customs and cultures, as well as changes or advancements in treatments and medical equipment. If we have curiosity, we will be open to learning and implementing new things."