Do you consider yourself a patient person? How do you increase your patience in challenging situations?
Nursing is a high-stress profession, no matter where you work. While working in accident and emergency (A&E) may be more stressful and fast-paced than visiting patients in their homes, as an NHS Band 5 nurse, you must always remain calm and patient when faced with challenging situations. While patience may not come easy for all, you can learn patience by practising mindfulness, consciously slowing down and taking a step back to reassess the situation, taking deep breaths, or counting to ten. Let the interviewers know you are a patient nurse and describe how you maintain patience when dealing with challenging situations.
"Yes, I am a very patient person. I understand that situations are often out of people's control, so it does no good to be impatient and cause further stress to those around me. I am consistent with my patience level and do not need to increase my patience during challenging situations. Growing up with three younger siblings taught me to be patient at a young age."
"I do consider myself a patient person. I would rate myself an eight out of ten for patience because I certainly have room to grow, but I have a very long fuse. If I need a boost of patience in a challenging situation, I will take a step away, count to 10, and then return to the situation. I recently read a book, 'The Power of Patience' by M.J. Ryan, which also gave me some excellent new coping methods."
