The Importance of Curiosity

"When nurses and other healthcare professionals are actively curious, we discover things we would never have learned."

On the first day of nursing school, my cohort and I were told that the profession demands a lot. Nurses commit to service, compassion, trust, clinical judgment, and advocacy for our patients; to apply evidence and experience to critical thinking; and to always seek the best for those in our care. These are crucial commitments, of course, but there was one thing missing – something that we share in the health professions but that deserves to be highlighted all the same: curiosity. It’s a valuable tool, and I’ve been lucky to sharpen it as an interprofessional intern with the Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs (OACA). 

When I met my two co-interns – one physical therapy (PT) and one public health student – of course, we began with the basics: what led us to our programs, why we’re drawn to our fields, and what our professions actually do. None of this is novel conversation; each of us had answered these questions enough to have perfected an answer: “I studied this, I did that, and here’s what I want to do.” Which is fine, of course. But, curiosity demands careful listening, sincere interest, and following cues to a deeper answer. (And most important, determining how comfortable someone feels about going further.) Curiosity can lead you to discover why people make decisions and ultimately who they are. This is how I learned that it was a special advisor who led one of my co-interns to public health, and a beloved grandfather who led the other to physical therapy. 

When we finally began work on our project, we understood one another in a way that made our project appear more clear, and being curious throughout the process led us to work well together. In drafting wheelchair-user educational materials, for example, my PT co-intern explains how she conducts an assessment; my public health colleague shares how patients without insurance can secure a chair; and I describe how pressure injuries are scored. It’s a more complete kind of problem-solving, one that allows us to teach and learn.

Clearly, this kind of curiosity is immensely useful with our patients and colleagues. In my clinical experiences, the curiosity honed in my internship has prepared me for working interprofessionally and digging deeper with my patients. I meet with respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, care coordinators, physicians, social workers, assistants, transport, and facilities – as well as with patients and families – and I feel prepared! I feel comfortable asking the respiratory therapist to explain how she administers a nebulizer, or the sonographer to walk me through the ultrasound. And of course, a curious approach helps me gather the best possible patient history.  

When nurses and other healthcare professionals are actively curious, we discover things we would never have learned. Like everything in today’s model of care, it’s a challenge to find the time, but practicing curiosity early in one’s career can prepare you for using it effectively and efficiently.