Nursing is physically and emotionally demanding. Students need physical endurance and emotional stability to adapt to stressful environments and unexpected crises that nurses may encounter. Nursing requires sound problem solving and critical thinking skills. Students need to be able to process information, organize and sequence tasks, and troubleshoot highly sophisticated equipment in order to apply theoretical knowledge to patient care situations.
Nursing requires effective oral and written communication skills.
Students need to be able to interact compassionately and listen attentively. Students need college level writing skills, the ability to word process, to access the Internet, and to use on-line databases. Reading textbooks and professional journals at or above the 13 th grade level is expected. Nursing requires accuracy and attention to detail. Students need skills in basic arithmetic and algebraic concepts in order to calculate medication dosages.