To become a professional nurse, one is to objectively their strengths and weaknesses in terms of providing care and interacting with professionals and patients daily. Such a phenomenon of recognizing one’s emotions and behavioral patterns is known as self-awareness (Grand Canyon University, 2018). When analyzing personal strengths, I can point out a high level of empathy. Indeed, after years of interacting with patients in general hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, I have learned that compassion comes a long way in providing quality care, as people need medical professionals to empathize with them to trust the treatment plans.
Another strength is the ability to take responsibility for my actions. Even when following someone’s advice or recommendations, I take full accountability for the decisions made, as I am the last person to justify a decision, and being influenced by others does not equal the responsibility divided between everyone taking part in the process. Finally, good communication skills are also one of my positive professional aspects, as I find it easy to find common ground with colleagues and patients through active listening and respect. However, to improve these aspects, it is vital not to become too invested in communication and compassion, as it may potentially affect my objective reasoning when working with patients.
As far as the weaknesses are concerned, the first major drawback would be the lack of autonomy. While I can take responsibility for my actions, it is difficult for me to decide without external assistance, as I often feel self-conscious and seek guidance from others. To improve this area, it would be beneficial for me to start believing in my professional intuition before making a decision instead of making sure I was right after hearing the same answer from other professionals. Another weakness is inflexibility, as I find it challenging to adapt quickly to a new environment to the extent required by the clinical setting. One way to combat this is to develop my skill sets to feel more confident when faced with a challenge. Finally, my behavior frequently lacks patience, which may lead to the patient outcomes being poorer than expected. A way to combat this issue would be to develop a habit of long-term perception of every decision made, as limited analysis of the decision’s implications may rush people into making immediate choices without seeing the options.
Reference
Grand Canyon University. (2018). Nursing leadership & management: Leading and serving [E-book]. Web.