16 Essential Qualities Every Family Nurse Practitioner Needs to Be Successful

Playing an important role in the healthcare sector, family nurse practitioners are registered nurses who possess specialized clinical and educational training in family practice. The main role of an FNP is to work with both children and adults, in the context of a clinical setting or family practice. Working with patients to maintain health and wellness, family nurse practitioners need to possess numerous key traits and skills to flourish in their role.

If you're interested in a healthcare role and would like to make a difference to your patients' lives, becoming a family nurse practitioner may be the perfect route for you. Before you embark on an FNP degree, here are some of the characteristics and qualities that you will need to succeed in your role.

Proper Education

First and foremost, before you can operate as a family nurse practitioner, you will need to have the right credentials and education behind you. To qualify as an FNP, you will need to be certified already, as well as be a licensed registered nurse. You will also need to complete a master's program before you can begin working as an FNP.

There are many students who decide to obtain a doctorate, which gives them access to a larger selection of positions. If you are a student who is already working, choosing an online DNP-FNP program may be best suited to you. There are various advantages of studying online, such as:

• Learning from the comfort of your own home

• Flexible schedule

• Avoid the daily commute

• Lower total costs

• Teaches you self-discipline and responsibility

Effective Communication

As a family nurse practitioner, one of the key skills that you need to possess is knowing how to communicate effectively with patients. The main duties of an FNP are to:

• Provide care for chronic, lingering, or long-lasting diseases

• Treat minor injuries

• Provide children and infants with health and wellness care

• Manage a patient's long-term conditions and illnesses

• Conducting patient examinations

No matter who you treat, there are various benefits that are linked with effective communication in a professional setting, such as:

• Strengthening relationships with patients

• Providing clarity and direction

• Building trust

• Resolving issues

Throughout your online DNP-FNP program, you will learn a range of soft skills, including how to communicate effectively, which will help you feel more confident in your abilities and ensure you succeed in your duties.

Compassion

When patients come into the hospital, it's your duty to provide care, support, and guidance for the sick and injured. As a family nurse practitioner, you will deal with patients with all kinds of ailments, so to ease pain and suffering, showing compassion and empathy for their situation can help put patients' minds at ease. Having a strong desire to make the hospital environment as stress-free and positive as possible can make all the difference and ensure patients are given the care that they need to get better. Unfortunately, not every patient will be polite and pleasant, so if you are dealing with individuals who are abusive or ungrateful, you will be surprised at how beneficial compassion and kindness can be, helping to instill trust from your patients.

Emotional Stability

As a family nurse practitioner, dealing with traumatic situations is common. Unfortunately, there will be patients you treat who do not get the outcome you envisaged, so you need to have the ability to accept suffering and death without letting your emotions get in the way. 

While there are pros and cons with any nursing role, that's not to say that there are not heartwarming moments in your role. Helping patients recover and get back on their feet can provide you with a sense of accomplishment. To flourish as an FNP, you will need to learn how to manage the stress of sad situations, as well as draw strength from the great outcomes that can and do occur. 

Active Listening

Whether you're engaging with colleagues, managers, patients, or parents, every successful FNP needs to possess effective listening skills. There are numerous benefits that effective listening can bring in your role, such as:

• Helping to resolve conflicts

• Strengthening teams

• Building trust

• Gaining more in-depth information

• Ensuring that anyone you engage with feels heard

• Providing better outcomes

Flexibility

Being flexible and compliant are key traits that can carry you far in any career, however, as a family nurse practitioner, being aware of your working hours and responsibilities beforehand is crucial. Like doctors, family nurse practitioners are often expected to work long periods of overtime, as well as weekends, overnight shifts, or late at night. You need to know that no matter what career of nursing interests you, shift work comes as part of the territory. 

Critical Thinking

In the healthcare sector, there are various puzzles and challenges that you will face when working as a family nurse practitioner. While you may not be directly responsible for diagnosing or deciding on the course of care, FNPs need to know how to respond correctly to emerging situations. While some decisions may be obvious, there will be others based on established standards of care. There are several benefits of possessing critical thinking skills, such as:

• Helping you make better decisions

• Ensuring your opinions are well-informed

• Improving relationships

There will be instances throughout your career where you're expected to think on your feet and make fast-paced decisions, so being confident with your judgment is important.

Stress Resistance 

While there are many registered nurses who decide to go into family care for a change of direction and pace, that's not to say that they won't have to deal with certain levels of stress. As an FNP, you will engage with patients from all walks of life, so knowing how to work well under pressure is crucial. Working under pressure can help to:

• Increase enthusiasm 

• Provide better performance and productivity

• Keep you focused

• Give you the fire to succeed

In a tense situation, you will need to utilize the right tools to de-escalate problems when needed. If you are interested in moving into emergency care, there will be many challenges and obstacles that come alongside it. There will be some days that are harder than others, but you will find this is true for any kind of role in healthcare. 

Good Team Player

To prosper as a family nurse practitioner, you will need to understand the importance of teamwork. Working alongside physicians and other members of the healthcare field, FNPs must be willing to step in should a team player not be able to deal with a certain situation. Some of the benefits of being a team player include:

• Fostering creativity and learning

• Blends complementary strengths

• Teaches conflict resolution skills

• Promotes a wider sense of ownership

Being on hand to provide support and guidance to fellow members of your team can make all the difference and help increase productivity and efficiency in your working environment. 

Physical Endurance

Another aspect that you must consider before embarking on your journey of becoming an FNP is physical endurance. Depending on the setting you're in, you may have to walk kilometers on each shift. Naturally, being on your feet for such a long time can prove exhausting, so being aware of the physical aspect of the role is crucial before studying an applying for FNP positions. Keeping your energy levels up throughout your shift is vital, so you may want to consider making some lifestyle adjustments, such as:

• Reducing stress levels

• Eating a balanced diet

• Avoiding added sugar

• Getting more sleep

In addition to the suggestions listed above, FNPs need to understand the importance of hydration. Drinking plenty of water throughout your shift will keep you hydrated and ensure you're in the right frame of mind to perform your duties. Becoming dehydrated can cause you to feel dizzy, experience rapid breathing, as well as having a lack of energy.

Time Management

Throughout your career as an FNP, you will need to learn the importance of time management. Being organized with your workload and staying on track will ensure that patients receive the best care possible. Whether it's personal checklists, spreadsheets, or flowcharts, knowing how to multitask is a key trait that will carry you far as a family nurse practitioner. Make sure to take some time to get to know and understand your facility's equipment and resources, so you can get the best use out of them.

Leadership

As a family nurse practitioner, you may have other members of the team who come to you for guidance and support. Asserting yourself as a leader can help you stand out from the crowd and give you the confidence you need to enter into senior and managerial positions. Some of the benefits of leadership include:

• Improved productivity in the workplace

• Increased emotional intelligence

• Instilling trust and confidence in your team

• Improving listening and communication skills

• Ability to work well under pressure

Stay Current

In the nursing sector, it's important that you stay up to date with the latest trends and developments. Taking time to learn new procedures, as well as recognizing where your skills need updating can help keep you on track and ensure you're performing at your best. As an FNP, undergoing regular training can benefit you in a variety of ways, such as:

• Increasing motivation

• Increasing job satisfaction and morale

• Increasing capacity to adopt new methods and technologies

With technology continuing to advance, there are always going to be new software and programs that FNPs need to be aware of. To make sure you're putting in 110%, it's important that you're open to change and take the time to fully embrace new software that can benefit you in your career.

Professionalism

How you act and come across to colleagues, managers, and patients can say a lot about your character. As a family nurse practitioner, patients are putting their trust and lives into your hands, so it's important that you act professionally at all times and do your best to ensure your patients are well taken care of. When you're a professional family nurse practitioner, you:

• Are responsive

• Do quality work

• Take pride in your work

• Are helpful to others

• Are good-natured and humble to patients and colleagues

Ability to Delegate

As a family nurse practitioner, you may be responsible for assigning roles to other members of the team. To make sure that everyone is comfortable in their roles, you will need to master the art of delegation. When assigning roles, having a solid understanding of your team's strengths and weaknesses will mean that each task is carried out according to plan. There are certain tips that you can take on board to help you delegate more effectively, such as:

• Delegating early

• Choosing the right person

• Communicating the rationale and benefit

• Setting clear goals and expectations

• Delegating responsibility and authority

There may be times where you have too much on your plate, so when handing over duties to another colleague, you need to be confident that they are up to the job.

Prioritization

With a whole host of responsibilities and duties expected of you, FNPs need to know how to prioritize their workload. When dealing with patients, you will need to assess who is in greater need of your time and expertise to make sure that those you treat are given the correct level of care. It can be all too easy for operations to spiral out of control, so being organized with your workload is key.

If you are interested in becoming a family nurse practitioner, it's important that you possess all the essential qualities listed above. When dealing with patients, you will need to put on a professional front to deliver excellent quality care. 

For those who are passionate about helping those in need and want to do all that they can to improve their patients' lives, working as a family nurse practitioner may be the perfect role for you. Before you can qualify, you will need to undergo relevant training and education, so make sure to read entry requirements, course fees, and career outcomes to give you a better understanding of what the role entails.