Five Embarrassing Mistakes for Nursing Interns


Nursing interns are students who are practicing the methods of what registered nurses do. They are young and excited to become nurses someday but their eagerness may often result to mistakes. Many of these mistakes if not corrected may become a big deal.

Such mistakes can be attributed to many factors such as negligence and lack of focus. If the nursing error hasn’t harmed anyone, it is important to report it right away so that it can be corrected right away. An important thing that a nursing intern should remember is that committing a mistake doesn’t make you a bad nurse. Learning from your mistakes makes you a good one.

1. Medication mistakes
Every nurse, even the more experienced one, may have made this mistake one point in their career. Nursing interns should take a close look on the medication that they administer to the patient. It is also important to confirm the doctor or pharmacist on the details of the medication i.e. dosage and schedule. Double-checking is important but you also have to consider that time is of the essence.

2. Administering medical procedure on the wrong part
You should pay attention to anatomy class because once the doctor will ask you to administer a certain medical procedure once you are in an actual hospital setting. A mistake will make the patient uncomfortable and on a worst case scenario, that mistake may cause serious complications. If you are not aware of what the affected area of the patient is then you will be left clueless. Preventing the error means that nursing interns have to check the chart, the medical data, and even ask the doctor.

3. Call the patient the wrong name
Though it doesn’t have adverse effect on the patient’s condition, calling the patient the wrong name is a big deal. Nursing interns should always keep their focus and if they make such mistake then they should make a sincere apology right away.

4. Calling the doctor’s attention without the important information on hand
Don’t waste the doctor’s time if your concern is not really important. Never talk to the doctor if you haven’t brought the chart and every piece of information about the patient. Be ready to provide all the updates on the patient’s health condition and the effect of the medication that is kept on record on the chart.

5. Don’t be a jackass
Nurses have a respected and honorable one. As nursing intern, follow the rules and regulations of the hospital by being professional all the time. Horse-playing and joking around are not part of a nurse’s job. How can patients and their loved ones respect and trust you if you are not serious with what you are doing?

Fortunately, many of these mistakes and nursing errors can be prevented. Nursing interns should think first before doing something, otherwise, they will keep on committing those mistakes.

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