Am I smart enough to be a Nurse Practitioner? It’s time to dispel doubts!

Being smart about studying nurse practitioner, in a way, is very important; as graduate school is notoriously difficult. Most nursing programs require impressive scores in chemistry, biology, psychology, math, and other demanding subjects.

But, you also have to consider the other side of the coin and ask yourself, “Am I willing to work hard enough to make it?”

Usually, many people refuse to follow their dream because of the fear of failure. But in the end, the important thing after graduation is not grades but how hard you work and how hard you try.

In this article we will talk about how smart you have to be to achieve your dream of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Does Nurse Practitioner require intelligence?

Generally, graduate school must ensure that individuals know what they are doing before they take over the care of patients. This is because NPSs are responsible for assessing and diagnosing patients, ordering lab tests, prescribing medications, and managing health conditions.

This is why it’s important – beyond intelligence – to keep these three questions in mind: how hard do you work to accomplish this? How much do you remember from training? And how much do you care about patients?

Because there will undoubtedly be student nurse practitioners who pass all the exams and student nurses who struggle to pass, although when you have passed all the exams those grades no longer matter…but how much you are willing to do your best for the patient.

Emotional Intelligence

Certainly, nursing practice requires scientific and technical knowledge, but it is also very important to have emotional intelligence. Since a health professional needs to be concerned about people as a whole.

Among the skills that a nurse practitioner must have, the following can be highlighted:

• Self-awareness.
• Self-regulation.
• Empathy.
• Motivation.
• Social skills.

How do nurse practitioners get smarter?

• Don’t be embarrassed to ask questions.
• Treat technology as the friend it is.
• Never stop learning.
• Don’t save time by taking shortcuts.
• Focus on people.

Is it difficult to become a Nurse Practitioner?

Indeed, it is. Although it should be made clear that it is impossible not to be; as life as a nurse practitioner is challenging (but at the same time rewarding). There are many things you need to know, and knowing is certainly something that takes a lot of work, study and above all practice.

NPSs must study for approximately 6 to 8 years (this includes undergraduate and graduate school). In addition, you must complete some training to become a registered nurse, and then take the nurse practitioner licensing exam.

What qualities can help to be a Nurse Practitioner?

Of course intelligence is useful to have a place in any job, although there are other qualities that can give a great boost to have a professional contribution.

For example, intuition is a great attribute to possess. Since it is far from memorization, but close to a sincere and confident intelligence. On the other hand is compassion, for a nurse practitioner must be effective in stressful, tearful, laughing, laughing, praying, grateful or just plain maddening environments, but still know how to be controlled.

It is common in nursing schools the importance of being “smart,” but when you listen to NPSs who have more than 10 years of experience they always recommend self-confidence, and to be efficient intelligence is not the first quality you think of when interacting.

Do nurse practitioners have to be lifelong learners?

A nurse practitioner is a lifelong learner. They will have to complete a certain number of hours of continuing education before renewing their license and/or certification. But don’t panic, because continuing education is not as difficult as finishing graduate school or passing exams – once you’ve passed your exams, you’ll be exam-free for a while!

Summary

So, is there still doubt about the level of intelligence? As mentioned, it is key for every nurse practitioner to keep in mind that her role is about much more than her intelligence. For the journey she must have intertwines knowledge with compassion and/or technical with intuitive.