Nurses are human beings, and – like all of us – they occasionally make mistakes. Even experienced nurses who have been working in hospitals for many years can make errors every now and then, especially in situations when it’s very busy and there are staff shortages.
Making mistakes as a nurse need not be a cause for anxiety, as long as you follow proper procedures and put measures in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the most common nursing errors, and provide advice for coping.
Recognise and accept the mistake
As soon as you realise you’ve made a mistake, report it to your supervisor. Although you might feel embarrassed or anxious about the mistake, it’s vital that you don’t try to hide it – because this could lead to serious consequences.
When a report is filed, this will go towards the data collected by your workplace to ensure that everything continues to run smoothly. If the mistake happened because of a staffing issue, for instance, the report can be used to show a correlation between staff shortages and mistake rates.
For example, medication errors – one of the most common nursing mistakes – might be happening at your workplace because of systemic problems. Data from reports about nursing mistakes can reveal weaknesses in the system, and ultimately this could bring about positive change for the entire department.
Accepting your mistake also sets an example for your team, and helps to foster a work environment where other nurses will feel comfortable coming forward to report their own errors. This will ultimately create a safer and more functional workplace.
Reflect
Instead of beating yourself up for making an error, try to see this as an opportunity to learn and grow. As you’ll know from your time as a nursing student, making mistakes is an extremely valuable part of the learning process. While it’s totally normal to feel anxious or guilty, your mental energy will be better used by reflecting upon what caused you to make the mistake, and putting measures in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Learning from mistakes in nursing is one of the key attributes of nurses who end up becoming industry leaders. It will also make you a great teacher if you decide to pursue a career as a healthcare educator. Textbooks can only teach you so much; it’s so much more useful to have hands-on experience, and to hear other people’s accounts of making mistakes in nursing practice.
In addition to reporting the mistake, you should keep your own record of things you’ve learnt on the job. Keep a notebook or make notes on your phone to assist with long term recollection.
Take action
If the mistake happened because of an issue such as, for instance, two different medications with the same colour label, you should take action to make sure other nurses don’t make the same error. Sometimes mistakes made by nurses happen due to simple things that can (and should!) be fixed – take this opportunity to be heard.
You can start by alerting your supervisor of the issue and informing other nurses. This might be enough to make sure the same mistake doesn’t happen again, although in certain instances the issue might need to be escalated. You should always take every possible step to prevent errors in your workplace, to ensure the highest standards of patient care.
Talk about it
Talking to other nurses about your experience is one of the best ways to cope with feelings of guilt or shame. The more you talk to other nursing professionals, the more you’ll come to realise that making mistakes is an unavoidable part of the learning process. Sharing your story can help you process your emotions, making it easier to move forward.
Another option for those wondering how to get over making a mistake as a nurse is to make an appointment with a counsellor. Most workplaces offer counselling as a service to their staff, and it can really help if you’re finding it hard to cope. Your counsellor can suggest strategies for managing anxiety, while also providing a sounding board for any other issues you might be experiencing either professionally or personally.
Because nurses spend their days looking after people, they can sometimes struggle to prioritise their own self care. But the bottom line is you need to keep yourself in good shape – mentally as well as physically – to be the best nurse you can be.
Build up your confidence
Another way to cope with making mistakes as a nurse is to pursue opportunities for professional development. These will help to expand your knowledge and build your confidence – while also extending your professional network.
A postgraduate course such as the Graduate Diploma of Health (Advanced Nursing) at Federation Uni Online is a great option if you’re working as a nurse and want to gain advanced level skills. Not only will you learn skills that can open doors to leadership positions, but you will also gain a tremendous sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Find out more about how you can level up your nursing skills in our article: How to Be a Better Nurse.
