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Nursing Strengths and Weaknesses Examples
Nursing strengths and weaknesses examples include a list of common nurse strengths and weaknesses, how they present in the healthcare workplace and examples of how to describe the strength or weakness in a nurse job interview.
Hiring managers ask about your strengths and weaknesses for a number of reasons:
- to determine your insight and self-awareness
- to assess your ability to reflect objectively on your work performance
- to evaluate your suitability for the specific nursing position
Generally you should pick strengths that are key for the
specific nursing job, and weaknesses that do not immediately disqualify you for the healthcare position. Identify those nursing strengths and weaknesses examples that resonate with you.
10 top nurse strengths
There are a number of qualities you may choose to focus on as your strengths. Once you have identified the strengths that apply to you, think of good examples of how you display the strength in your job. When discussing your strengths be sure to use supporting examples to validate your healthcare interview answer.
1. Organizational and planning skills
Key actions:
- prioritizes and schedules tasks and responsibilities to provide proper care to all patients
- develops effective care plans
- successfully manages competing demands
- effectively manage one's time
- allocates and uses resources efficiently
- maintains accurate and timely patient documentation
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I use my planning and organizational skills to develop effective patient care plans to meet the patient's specific care needs. I prioritize and schedule my duties based on current patient needs and enhance my efficiency with the careful planning of resource utilization, such as medical equipment and supplies, to ensure they are available when I need them."
2. Communication Skills
Key actions:
- expresses oneself clearly
- adapts communication style to the needs of the listener
- explains complex facts in an understandable format
- listens actively and asks questions for clarification
- displays empathy and respect of others
- aware of own and others' body language and non verbal cues
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I have been told that I am a good listener as I take the time to pay close attention when someone is speaking to me. I make sure I have understood the conversation by asking relevant questions. When I communicate with patients and their families I adapt my style of communicating to meet their specific needs. I am able to articulate complex information clearly and in simpler terms if necessary. I ensure we have a shared understanding of the conversation by asking questions to confirm that they are clear about what has been discussed."
3. Attention to detail
This is an important nursing strengths and weaknesses example.
Key actions:
- pays close attention to all tasks and responsibilities
- shows concern for all aspects of the job
- follows instructions closely
- thoroughly reviews and checks on tasks
- maintains accurate records
- follows established policies and procedures
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I pride myself on my attention to detail and the strict attention I pay to all aspects of my job. I follow instructions to the letter, closely observe my patients and meticulously check that my patient records are correct and up-to-date. I put checklists to good use in ensuring all my tasks are done properly."
Keep on scrolling to find more nursing strengths and weaknesses examples.
4. Strong work ethic and commitment
Key actions:
- demonstrates professionalism at all times
- takes responsibility for own job performance and results
- sets high standards for self and others
- embodies professional values and standards of nursing
- shows dissatisfaction with substandard performance
- follows through on commitments
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"My strength is my commitment and attitude to nursing. It is not just a job for me but a vocation. I always put the patient first, I am attentive to every detail of my responsibilities and set high standards of professionalism and patient care. My commitment to nursing is further evidenced by the courses I have taken to expand my knowledge and skills including ..."
5. Critical thinking
Key actions:
- assesses patients by collecting and analyzing data
-
responds quickly to issues and concerns
- identifies problems and finds possible resolutions
- makes informed and sound decisions about the best course of action
- evaluates the effectiveness of care plans and makes changes as needed
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
" My strong critical thinking skills enable the provision of effective and safe patient care. I am able to accurately assess a situation and quickly respond with the most appropriate course of action. I closely monitoring and analyze all the available data to identify any potential problems and to make evidence-based decisions about the patient's care needs."
6. Empathy and respect
Key actions:
- displays compassion for patients an their families
- attentive to patient needs and concerns
- builds rapport and connects with patients, families and other health professionals
- understands other perspectives
- acknowledges emotions and concerns
- empowers patients by providing adequate information for them to make informed decisions
about their health care
- respects and accommodates diverse cultural backgrounds
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"My patients have commented on the important role my empathy and respect play in providing quality patient care. I am able to connect with patients and their families by understanding their perspectives and respecting their emotions and feelings. I help them to make informed decisions by ensuring they have all the necessary information. I am respectful of the patient's beliefs and values and recognize the importance of cultural diversity in providing the right patient care"
7. Adaptability
Key actions:
- able to adjust to changing situations and demands
- meets the individual needs of each patient
- modifies care plans as new information becomes available
- responds quickly and efficiently to emergencies
- manages unexpected situations by quickly identifying the problem and adjusting approach to ensure patient care is not compromised
- able to adapt communication style to ensure effective communication
- able to adapt to new systems, procedures, policies and technology
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"My ability to adapt quickly and efficiently to changing demands and situations is crucial to positive health outcomes. I am able to effectively modify the care I provide to meet the changing needs of each patient as the situation changes or new information becomes available. In unexpected situations I am able to adjust my approach and respond rapidly and effectively to ensure that patient care is not compromised."
8. Collaborative skills and teamwork
Key actions:
- works effectively with other healthcare professionals to provide optimal patient-centered care
- shares relevant information fully with patients, families, healthcare providers to enable informed decision making
- able to effectively collaborate with others to minimize disagreements and conflict in the healthcare setting
- collaborates and works with team to continuously evaluate patient care and make necessary changes
- promotes open communication and mutual respect in the healthcare setting
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I collaborate and communicate closely with an inter-disciplinary healthcare team to develop and implement the right patient care plan. I ensure that the team and the patients and their families have all the necessary and relevant information to make informed decisions to manage their health effectively. I have built mutual respect in my nursing role by valuing each individual's contribution and acknowledging the efforts of other healthcare professionals."
9. Stress management skills
Key actions:
- manages time effectively to prevent feeling overwhelmed
- focuses on positive aspects of the job
- maintains performance under pressure
- asks for and uses support from colleagues and management
- uses self care activities and appropriate coping techniques such as exercise to reduce stress
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I know that I cope well under pressure and I am able to maintain effective patient care while experiencing varying levels of stress. I have various techniques I use to manage stress including efficiently scheduling my responsibilities and time, planning for unexpected situations, clarifying my responsibilities and others' expectations, communicating clearly and concisely and setting healthy boundaries. I also look after myself by ensuring I exercise and get enough sleep."
10. Resilience
Key actions:
- able to bounce back from failure or disappointment
- able to maintain focus and performance in the face of adversity
- able to meet challenges and overcome obstacles
- responds constructively to negative feedback
- accepts certain things are out of one's control
- sustains a positive attitude and adapts to changing circumstances
Example nursing strengths interview answer:
"I have proven myself to be resilient and able to stay focused and maintain proper patient care in difficult situations. I am able to bounce back from setbacks and sustain a positive attitude to my responsibilities. I focus on controlling, to the best of my ability, what I can and accept that some things are out of my control. By keeping the big picture in mind, overall excellent patient care, I can deal with the disappointments and challenges along the way."
Use this comprehensive list of nursing strengths and weaknesses examples to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses and be ready for nurse strengths and weaknesses interview questions.
3 common nursing weaknesses
Everyone has something they’re trying to improve upon, and these are the types of weaknesses you can refer to in your nursing interview. The best approach is to describe the professional weakness but focus on the active steps you are taking to overcome this shortcoming.
Use this list of nursing weaknesses to prepare your responses before your nurse interview and be ready to answer questions about weaknesses more effectively and confidently.
1. Too emotionally involved
How this weakness presents:
- becomes emotionally involved in patient care
- is emotionally distressed by patient's situation
- unable to maintain professional distance
- compromises professional judgement and decision-making
- finds it difficult to establish healthy boundaries
Empathy is important but becoming too emotionally involved in patient care can negatively impact a nurse's own well being and compromise her decision-making abilities
How to overcome this weakness:
- establish professional boundaries
- minimize personal conversations
- focus on the treatment of the patient
- focus on the task at hand
- maintain a professional approach at all times
Example nursing weaknesses interview answer:
"My compassion and empathy can sometimes spill over into my becoming too emotionally involved with a patient's situation. I am aware that this could compromise my judgment and I am working on establishing healthy boundaries by minimizing personal conversations with patients and their families, focusing on the task at hand and maintaining a professional distance."
2. Trying to do too much at once
Nurses have multiple responsibilities and duties to perform within a limited time frame which can be challenging. Trying to do too much at once can negatively impact on patient care.
How this weakness presents:
- trying to complete too many tasks at the same time
- inefficient use of time by not completing one task properly before moving on
- makes mistakes or overlooks important details
- feels stressed out and pressurized
- feels physical and emotional fatigue from doing too much at once
- constantly rushing through tasks
How to overcome this weakness:
- prioritize and schedule tasks and activities according to importance and urgency
- delegate where possible
- use resources effectively including technology
- minimize disruptions
- seek support from colleagues and supervisors when overwhelmed
Example nursing weaknesses interview answer:
" I sometimes try to do too much at once which can result in my rushing through tasks. I am consciously managing this by planning and managing my workload more efficiently. I am prioritizing my duties better by identifying and focusing on the most urgent and important tasks first and creating easy-to-use schedules. I am also making better use of the resources available to me including delegating tasks where possible and minimizing distractions such as personal conversations with colleagues."
3. Self critical
A certain amount of self criticism can be productive and lead to improved job performance but too much can lead to stress, anxiety and burnout.
How this weakness presents:
- strives for perfection
- takes on too much responsibility
- puts too much pressure on self
- has unrealistic expectations of self
- has difficulty in accepting feedback
- dwells on mistakes
- fears failure and is reluctant to try new things
- engages in negative self talk
How to overcome this weakness:
- practice positive self talk and acceptance
- set realistic expectations and goals
- accept own limitations
- focus on own strengths and expertise
- ask for feedback to confirm areas of excellence and and improve on weaknesses
Example nursing weaknesses interview answer:
"I sometimes struggle with self-criticism and am too hard on myself. I know this can impact on my well being and confidence at work. I have been taking an online course that is helping me to have more realistic expectations about my performance and to practice positive self talk. I have set up regular feedback sessions with my supervisor so that I know exactly what is expected of me and how I am performing, this way I can be confident that I am on the right track."
Nursing strengths and weaknesses examples
Nurse strengths and weaknesses
You can find more information and suggestions on nursing interview strengths and weaknesses on these pages.
Full list of workplace strengths
