Emotional intelligence and managerial competence of the nurse La inteligencia emocional y la competencia gerencial del profesional de enfermería

The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) is related to the role that emotions play in our daily lives. The challenge for everyone and perhaps even more for people in leadership positions that are responsible for a group of people, is the daily good practice of the personal and social skills of emotional intelligence. In the professional field of nursing, EI allows nurses to develop effec tive therapeutic relationships and facilitates interaction with other health professionals; also it benefits the management of services, using intellectual, human and technical capacities geared to the organization. According to Goleman the fundamental is a “mastery of self”, the beginning of everything that occurs in our relations with the environment in which we operate. This approach of dealing first with “oneself” means having the ability to identify our own weaknesses and the behaviors that help us to overcome them.