One of the biggest reasons why new nurses leave their first jobs is the culture around how mistakes are handled. No one wants to work feeling like they can never make a mistake. In fact, most nurses are hyper-aware of the potential of making a mistake and the consequences to patients. We also know that nurses often catch mistakes before they become problematic, yet those rarely get rewarded.
A punitive culture around errors is a by-product of both paternalism and maternalism. It is the parental like approach of punishment for the mistake, yet it is often the system that sets the nurse up for mistakes. Good systems look at the root causes of the mistakes and acknowledge that the person who committed the error has probably punished themselves enough.
There's a healthy literature about nurses catching mistakes before they happen and a growing body of literature on nurse surveillance for catching problems before they happen. Essentially, the evidence is growing about how nurses--when they have the right support and resources--can make great catches that prevent mistakes.
So, maybe you're looking for a clinical ladder or DNP project, perhaps a research study? Here's one for you that's based on evidence.
What if you introduced an intervention to change the language around mistakes from "near misses" to "great catches"? Think of the positive sentiment that would create where you work. Nurses might feel supported to report a great catch that avoids a near miss or an actual error. The system then has the opportunity to recognize and value what nurses are doing in their every day jobs.
By changing to "great catches" from near misses, nurses become revenue preservers for a health system instead of revenue losers. We can show that nursing services pay for themselves.
A punitive culture around errors is a by-product of both paternalism and maternalism. It is the parental like approach of punishment for the mistake, yet it is often the system that sets the nurse up for mistakes. Good systems look at the root causes of the mistakes and acknowledge that the person who committed the error has probably punished themselves enough.
There's a healthy literature about nurses catching mistakes before they happen and a growing body of literature on nurse surveillance for catching problems before they happen. Essentially, the evidence is growing about how nurses--when they have the right support and resources--can make great catches that prevent mistakes.
So, maybe you're looking for a clinical ladder or DNP project, perhaps a research study? Here's one for you that's based on evidence.
What if you introduced an intervention to change the language around mistakes from "near misses" to "great catches"? Think of the positive sentiment that would create where you work. Nurses might feel supported to report a great catch that avoids a near miss or an actual error. The system then has the opportunity to recognize and value what nurses are doing in their every day jobs.
By changing to "great catches" from near misses, nurses become revenue preservers for a health system instead of revenue losers. We can show that nursing services pay for themselves.
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