Emotional intelligence in nursing is critically important for cultivating a positive workplace, improving patient care and encouraging both professional and personal growth. A nurse’s emotional intelligence (EI) includes key components like self-awareness, emotional regulation, social skills, empathy and intrinsic motivation.
The intelligence quotient (IQ) is often considered an indicator of one's intellect and, consequently, integral to mastering complex nursing theories. Yet, intellect alone isn't enough. An argument can be made that the emotional quotient (EQ), also known as emotional intelligence (EI), is just as important (if not more so).
Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in a person’s interactions with others. It encompasses the ability to perceive, evaluate and interpret emotions. It also includes a person’s ability to control, demonstrate and use emotions to facilitate more effective and harmonious interactions with others.
Emotional intelligence in nursing is vital for success, as it helps nurses be compassionate advocates and caregivers for their patients, as well as considerate coworkers and effective leaders.
At Felician University, our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program offers a nursing education that teaches students the skills to thrive in their careers and become compassionate, emotionally intelligent nurses.
Below, we will explore emotional intelligence, its value in nursing, and ways to promote it.
Key Components of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing
EI involves more than just one personal characteristic. Rather, it’s a collection of attributes and soft skills that combine to facilitate social interactions. These key components of emotional intelligence in nursing include:
Self-Awareness
Before you can work on managing your emotions and demonstrating them appropriately, it’s essential to be aware of them. Emotional self-awareness involves recognizing and understanding your feelings and how your emotions (and subsequent actions) affect others.
Self-Regulation
Once you become aware of your emotions and their effects, you can better regulate them. Self-regulation doesn’t necessitate burying your emotions and ignoring them. Rather, it involves expressing them in a manner that is appropriate for the situation.
Social Skills
Once you’re aware of your emotions and can regulate them, you can improve your social interactions. Active listening skills, nonverbal communication cues and eye contact are important social skills that enable you to build rapport and exercise your EI in a meaningful way.
Empathy
Empathy is absolutely essential for a nurse’s emotional intelligence. With greater empathy, you can better understand other people's emotions and perspectives and improve your ability to relate to your patients.
Intrinsic Motivation
Nursing is a career with the potential for high salaries, good benefits and professional advancement. Yet, it’s also important to be intrinsically motivated to pursue your passion — what gives your life meaning — beyond external perks. An intrinsically motivated person is more likely to work hard to achieve high standards.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing Leadership
EI is essential for every nurse in every specialization and level of healthcare organization, but it’s particularly crucial for nurse leaders. Emotional intelligence in nursing leadership enables these professionals to relate to the people they supervise and understand how to effectively inspire and motivate.
With better EI, nurse leaders can successfully:
- Prevent or resolve workplace conflicts.
- Facilitate positive coworker relationships and patient interactions.
- Promote positive collaboration.
- Inspire trust.
- Cultivate a healthy, supportive work environment.
A healthy work environment in nursing is critically important. Learn more about it here.
Benefits of Strong Emotional Intelligence
A nurse’s emotional intelligence directly impacts their effectiveness in the workplace. For example, an empathetic nurse who imagines themselves in another person’s shoes is more likely to have an excellent bedside manner and provide effective patient care.
Consider these hypothetical examples of emotional intelligence in nursing:
- Jorge, an oncology RN, is in the habit of proactively offering blankets to patients receiving IV chemotherapy because the treatment necessitates bare arms, and patients often feel cold. Patients are touched by his kindness and are, therefore, more likely to trust his advice.
- Brenda, a cardiac care RN, notices that no family members have visited an elderly patient recovering from a heart attack. She asks the patient if she can call anyone for them and discovers that the patient is having trouble figuring out how to use their cell phone to contact their family. The interaction leads to effective family caregiver education upon the patient's discharge.
Emotional intelligence in nursing enhances and improves both patient interactions and patient care. Furthermore, nurses with solid soft skills may be more likely to experience stronger professional development, as EI is essential for an effective nurse leader.
Common Challenges and Solutions for Emotionally Intelligent Nurses
Emotional intelligence is tremendously helpful for professionals in the nursing field; however, there are potential drawbacks to navigate. For example, nurses who are more empathetic and attuned to the emotional needs of others may be more likely to suffer from burnout. Nursing is also a high-stress profession, which increases the likelihood.
Although EI may predispose a person to compassion fatigue, it can also help the nurse manage it. With better emotional intelligence comes stronger self-awareness. Nurses who are self-aware can quickly identify the warning signs of chronic stress and professional burnout and take steps to prevent the problem from becoming worse.
Nurses who possess strong EI may be more likely to compromise with others. While this is often a good thing, there is the potential to encounter ethically questionable compromises, such as ones that lower the standards of patient care and safety. Emotionally intelligent nurses may need to remind themselves that professional ethics take priority over protecting another’s emotions.
How to Promote Emotional Intelligence
Worried you don’t yet possess the EI necessary for effective nursing? There are ways you can actively cultivate it. Consider the following tips:
To Promote Self-Awareness
- Keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings.
- Practice paying greater attention to your emotions throughout the day and actively try to analyze them. What are they in response to? What effects are they having on yourself and others?
- Practice mindfulness.
- Get into the habit of requesting constructive feedback from others.
To Promote Emotional Self-Regulation
- Avoid responding to emotionally fraught situations immediately. Take a breath and think through your next words and actions.
- Accept your emotions and recognize that you choose to allow them to control your response.
- Use effective stress-coping techniques.
- Try to perceive challenges as opportunities for growth.
To Improve Social Skills
- Make eye contact with others during conversations.
- Actively listen to what others are saying and strive for greater understanding.
- Show an interest in what others are saying or doing.
- Use positive nonverbal communication cues (e.g., body language).
To Cultivate Empathy
- Decide to become curious about other people. What are they interested in or worried about? What drives them?
- Imagine yourself in other people’s shoes. How would you feel?
- Avoid rushing to judgment when others share something about themselves.
- Be willing to share your feelings and encourage others to do the same.
What is nursing advocacy, and what are its benefits? Read more to learn why it’s important.
Our Approach to Cultivating Nurses’ Emotional Intelligence
At Felician University, we strive to graduate highly competent and compassionate nurses who are well-prepared to confidently bring their emotional intelligence into the workplace and advocate on behalf of their patients and colleagues.
Our school embraces the Franciscan values of love, respect and service to others — attributes that align with strong emotional intelligence. Furthermore, our curriculum integrates EI into the coursework in classes such as Moral and Spiritual Dimensions of Health Care and Ethical and Legal Dimensions in Nursing.
This approach and our flexible learning options set our nursing school apart from the rest. Contact an admissions counselor at Felician today to learn about our accelerated nursing degree options: the hybrid ABSN program in Parsippany, NJ, and the On-Ground ABSN program in Rutherford, NJ. Graduate in as few as 16 months, ready to tackle modern challenges in the nursing workplace.