You’ve worked years of your life towards being a nurse. You’ve done hours of interning, stayed in the library on countless nights. And now you finally got your dream job working at a hospital. Yet on your first day, everything you’ve learned flies out the window and you feel like a deer in the headlights.
Okay, hopefully nothing that serious happens. But too often, nurses who work very hard to get to a position, get careless and make mistakes once they get their job. In order to stay ahead of the curve and keep your patients safe, keep in mind these few mistakes that new nurses frequently make, and make sure that you don’t repeat them.
Documentation Errors
When you’ve spent months working on documentation for your internship, you’ve taken precise steps to assure that no errors would show up that would make you look incompetent. This shouldn’t change once you get your real job. Making sure that you take the time to write the correct documentation information is not only morally and ethically important, but it is also vital for the health of your patients. Sometimes a nurse can be in a hurry and write down the wrong name of the patient or doctor or the wrong drug information, or forget to write down important information regarding the patient’s progress since they have been in the hospital.
It’s understandable that after a long shift of working, keeping up with your patient information can become increasingly difficult. However it is important to keep your information straight and correct for the wellbeing of the patient. Here are some other tips on keeping your documentation safe after a long shift of over 10-hours.
Forgetting Your Patient’s Name
Another common error for new nurses is forgetting patient’s names. When you have to run from room to room and check on each and every one of your patients, things begin to blur together and its understandable that information may run together. However, when a patient is in the hospital it’s important to remember that this is an unfamiliar and uncomfortable situation for them. Even though as a nurse you make your living at the hospital, for most people they don’t enjoy being there. Being called by the wrong name can make a patients time in the hospital even worse. Not only does it make the patient think that they are not important, but it can also generate concern as to whether or not you have the proper medical documentation in order. Remembering the patient’s name can not only help with making them feel more comfortable, but it can also make you look more professional and caring towards those you work for. Here are some simple tips that help with remember names of people you meet.
Being Unprepared
When you step up to the big leagues and begin working at a hospital, you are going to be surrounded by other educated people who have worked as hard as, if not harder than, you. Furthermore, many of these people will have experience that you’ll never learn from the books you read at university. As a new nurse, its important to be prepared when you are working with these people. The moment you talk about something that is irrelevant or is incorrect, your coworkers will pick up on that and question your competence. Along with this, also accept the idea of learning from those around you and soaking up as much knowledge that you can. No matter how well you scored on tests while at university, having first hand experience will do you wonders for your career as a nurse.
Conclusion
Becoming a nurse is a noble and kindhearted career path. Not only does it allow you to help people who are sick and in need of medical attention, but it also gives you the opportunity to meet families of those you work with. You can make the difference in lives you touch on a daily basis. However, if you fail to prepare and insist on making errors, your career will probably be short lived. To keep working hard as a nurse and making the best of your career, watch out for the three mistakes on this list and do your best to never let them happen.