Patience is a virtue--- or is it a skill?

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I had this experience 2 months ago when I was waiting for my students in the lobby of the hospital. They were late because the bus driver fetched them from school 5 minutes after 7 AM. Because I am punctual, I called their attention that they can ride on a public transportation when they know they will be late for duty. A student said to me, "Ma'am,. you are a very patient person. You wait until all your students arrive". I replied yes. I am patient when dealing with tardiness and in handling the students in the clinical area; patience is a virtue of a nurse, I told her. Then a student RR, butted in, "No, Ma'am, patience is a skill, not a virtue". "Really", I said, "and what makes you think that way?" She said that patience (and perseverance) can be developed, so it is a skill. She said she read it somewhere in the internet. I negated and I said "patience should be inherent", to which she responded again, "precisely it is learned". Student RR is a repeater. She was present in the case colloquium yesterday and she was so withdrawn and did not ask questions to the presenters. She also got absent on the last day of her duty in the medical ward where I was her clinical instructor. No excuse slips, she said she woke up late. I did not explain my side anymore because with her trend of thought, she maintains her own reasoning power and does not heed to the advice of her classmates, the dean, and us her instructors. "Good luck", I told her. How about you my friends, do you consider patience as a virtue or a skill?