What does it take to be a good nurse?

Jo Walrath (left) and Julie Stanik-Hutt

"You must have a deep respect for humanity and diversity, be flexible and above average intellectually," says Assistant Professor Jo M. Walrath, PhD, MS, RN. "Most importantly, you have to be clear about your values and your behavior must be congruent with them."

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing baccalaureate program "offers a good solid foundation in basic nursing," according to Walrath. Early professional courses start with the student interviewing patients. The ability to critically listen is fundamental, a core competency that every class emphasizes. Prior to taking a patient's history, students learn to ask targeted questions, skills they will use later with the patient's family, among colleagues, and throughout their career.

Though the range of opportunities for graduates has grown, many daily tasks associated with bedside care are still the same, says Associate Professor Julie Stanik-Hutt, PhD, CRNP-AC, CCNS and President of the American College of Nurse Practitioners. "We admit and discharge patients, check their vital signs, put them on bedpans, administer IVs and medications, take care of their hygiene and nutrition, and offer support to the family."

Stanik-Hutt believes the skills needed for bedside nursing--observational, critical thinking, and problem solving abilities--build better health care leaders. Nurses who become proficient at applying these skills to patients and families can engage the same tool kit when working with a nursing unit or remedying a dysfunctional system. If asked to come up with a new symbol for a nurse, Stanik-Hutt says it would be a brain: "Nursing is what happens between your two ears."