7 Common Mistakes Every New Nurse Should Avoid
Medication Administration Errors
Medication administration is not a difficult thing. Individuals with much less training than nurses perform this task in many settings so why are there so many errors? It is so easy that new nurses don’t always stop to devote their full attention to it. This is why so many errors happen and this is what you can learn from.
Calling A Patient The Wrong Name
You should avoid this because it is mortifying. Calling a patient the wrong name does not instill confidence and is a clear sign that you have too much going on in your head at that moment. Just stop to make sure that you know the patient’s name before you actually say it.
Not Asking Necessary Questions
As a new nurse, when you have a question you need an answer. The answer could prevent you from making a mistake or it could just make sure that you know exactly what you are doing and why for next time. If you have a question then ask it and make sure that you get a satisfying answer.
Not Reporting Mistakes You’ve Made Immediately
When you make a mistake then you want to report it immediately. You want to avoid mistakes but if you make one then you need to acknowledge it and address it properly. Sometimes a patient will need immediate care because of a mistake you have made so suck it up and admit it when you’ve done something wrong.
Forgetting How Important You Are
When you are a new nurse it is easy to feel like you are the one who knows the least and who matters the least. This is all in your head. While you are still just learning everything a nurse needs to know, you want to remember that you are providing medical care to your patients that will help restore them to health, make them comfortable, or even save their lives. New or not, you are doing important work. Remember that.
Living An Unbalanced Life
This isn’t a mistake that is made just on the job but it is an extremely common one for new nurses. You want to balance your job with the rest of your life. If you don’t take care of yourself when you’re off the clock then you won’t be able to provide the best care possible when you’re on the clock.
Giving Up On Nursing
New nurses tend to get overwhelmed by the challenges of being a new nurse. There’s nothing wrong with this because this experience is overwhelming. The mistake is thinking that you aren’t good enough or even leaving the nursing field before you have given yourself time to learn and time to adjust. It takes a lot to be a nurse, including the willingness to work through the many challenges that are part of just starting out in such a challenging field.
Thomas Henry Rheinecker likes writing about how to find information regarding how to become a nurse.