Nursing is considered one of the noblest professions across the career spectrum. The domain has given opportunities for students from various courses to explore their potential and give their best for the betterment of society. However, with rapid changes in technology and the introduction of new drugs, procedures, and equipment, nursing is becoming highly competitive. With every new development, patient care becomes more complex and challenging, giving rise to new responsibilities for nurses.
The people who have chosen the career of being a nurse are constantly experiencing various challenges they have to face daily. It is because their job is usually tricky and very stressful. To do this for a long time can be just impossible. However, there are ways to overcome these challenges.
What are some of the challenges ace at the workplace?
Ethical decision making
Nurses face the challenge of making ethical decisions that can affect patients and their current health status. It can be very challenging in such cases because there might not be a standard operating procedure in place.
The current issues facing nurse practitioners can be very challenging. In these cases, nurses should ensure they know the current laws and consider current patients’ needs. They should also be able to communicate with their existing patients and current team members to make informed and ethical decisions and provide the best possible care.
Patient care challenges
Some patients are easy to handle. In contrast, some can be very difficult because of their mood or the complexity of their case. When faced with these patients, nurses have no option but to complete their assigned tasks in any way possible.
Nurses know that it is their responsibility to meet the needs of patients and ensure their physical, emotional, and spiritual requirements are met. They must provide comfort and support. Providing emotional support can be more challenging than giving physical care in some cases. In such cases, nurses should try to understand the patient’s feelings. They should also be sympathetic and treat them with respect, empathy, honesty, patience, and courtesy.
Teaching challenges
Another significant challenge that nurses face is when they are educating patients. Teaching can significantly help patients understand their current condition and the necessary treatment.
With this, it is evident that nurses will have to educate patients about their current health status and what can be done to improve it. This can be a challenge because nurses might not know how to communicate effectively. In such cases, they should rely on current scientific data and information. They should also hoe their communication skills to understand the patients and educate them about their treatment.
Team challenges
Apart from an individual setting, nurses also face challenges when working in a team. This is because there may be differences among team members.
Nurses have to constantly communicate with each other to work as a team and complete one task at a time. This can be challenging because nurses might not communicate effectively and overlook team dynamics.
In such cases, nurses should always communicate and share current information. They should also understand everyday tasks assigned to each of them to work together and provide the best possible patient care. Having a competent nurse manager helps build a coherent and efficient nursing team.
Legal challenges
Nurses also experience legal challenges when things go down south concerning patient outcomes. Most of these lawsuits are filed by patients who believe their current health condition has been worsened because nurses failed to care for them properly. Medical errors and negligence lead to litigation. In some cases, nurses may also have to revoke their license to practice.
In this case, nurses should always communicate with patients and inform them about their current condition. They should also be vigilant about their work and minimize errors. Avoiding work-related fatigue can help nurses overcome this issue.
Short staffing issues
Because of the pandemic and an aging population, there has been an increase in patients worldwide. In many cases, this has led to a disproportionate patient-to-nurse ratio, thereby affecting the quality of care. With an influx of patients to attend to, nurses find it difficult to provide personalized care.
Healthcare administrators must therefore work toward creating an ideal nurse-to-patient ratio. They can achieve this by hiring more staff or creating more flexible schedules for nurses to ensure numbers are balanced. Forcing nurses to work overtime to address the challenges of understaffing will only lead to more nurses being burned out. This will compromise the quality of care patients receive. Therefore, there need to be more available nurses during a shift.
How can nurses overcome challenges at the workplace?
There are many ways that nurses can overcome the challenges they face. Here are some of them:
Nurses should always be able to communicate with patients and their current caregivers. They should establish a clear line of communication to provide the best possible care. They should also try to provide the best possible treatment and support.
Nurses should always be self-aware of their current abilities and limitations. They should try to admit when they are unsure about something and get the needed help. They should also always be honest about their limitations and not encourage patients to believe in something that is not possible. They should always try to communicate and work as a team. They should be able to trust each other and listen to different opinions. This way, they can work as a team and provide the best possible patient care.
Nurses should always try to keep themselves updated with current medical information. They should stay on top of new medical advancements to provide the best possible care for their patients. They should be able to perform their duties and responsibilities and meet the current needs of patients. They should also try to improve themselves over time and provide the best possible patient care.
Conclusion
Nurses play a crucial role in the current times. They need to overcome these challenges to provide the best possible care. Listed above are some of the things that nurses should do to overcome the challenges they face in their line of work. By breaking these barriers, nurses can provide better care to patients.
