The makings of a good nurse: practical or theoretical!

Textbook good nurse:
Florence Nightingale 

What does make a good nurse? 

Answers on a postcard please. Because, really, truly, I don't know! You see the problem is, what is on paper as a good nurse  doesn't always translate into a good nurse in practice.

The nursing courses today are all degree courses, which is fantastic in empowering nurses and giving us a broad skill set that means we can work as skilled, well trained healthcare professionals. However, it also makes the occupation much more, exclusive. Suddenly people who would make awesome nurses, who could more than cope with the drugs calculations, the dressings, the comforting patients and the long hours, but can't write an essay to save their life, or reference an article for that matter. Does that make them a bad nurse? Or unsuitable for the occupation?

Not in my opinion, but then again I'm biased. I am terrible at essays, I love my lectures, love my placements and without sounding like a smug idiot - I think I'm a damn good nurse. Obviously I'm a second year nurse - I've got a long way to go, but I feel that I do do a good job when I'm on duty. I make sacrifices for the work and I love it (not making sacrifices, I mean the job!) but arguably I may never make it to being staff nurse because I really struggle with my written work.

Is it fair? Is it right? And is it the best way of selecting the best nurses in the country - especially when I for one know student nurses who are piss-poor at placement and awesome at exams and therefor are going along like super-stars ... when actually they might not make the best nurses.

Just to show that I'm not an embittered old harpy - I also have some lush friends who are brilliant on placement and brilliant at their assessments and will make brilliant nurses!