When Things Happen
By Aaron Moore, MSN, RN-BC, travel nurse expert
There are certain expectations that come along with every travel nursing job. They are inevitable as a professional nurse. But those less-than-perfect moments are also inevitable. You mess up in some way. So what do you do then?
Start by remembering that you’re not perfect, and no one expects you to be. Yet those expectations can stir up fear in even the strongest and most confident nurse.
So what is expected by a hiring manager for your travel nursing assignments? Here are some of the basic expectations, but these will expand depending on your specialty and area of practice:
First and most importantly, you are expected to come in and perform as a competent nurse. You are being hired to fill a temporary need. Your assignment facility doesn’t expect to have to train you how to be a nurse. You have to know the basics, such as med passing, basic assessment and patient care.
You’re also expected to be up to date on things like BLS, ACLS and PALS certifications, if they apply. These, along with your nursing license, are must-haves to get travel nursing jobs, so don’t let them lapse. Of course, managers also expect you to be ready and focused for each shift, and to give patients your best.
Now, you’re not expected to know every charting system, IV pump or monitoring system. These things will be usually covered in your traveler orientation (which can be anywhere from 4-40 hours, in my experience). So, don’t stress about the little stuff. Come in strong and confident in your skills, utilize the orientation and ask plenty of questions.
Now onto the “What ifs.” As I pointed out earlier, you’re bound to make some mistakes. And when you do, honesty (and following protocol) is your best weapon.
Patient safety and care always come first, so if an error, near miss or other incident occurs, take care of what the patient needs first, and then take care of all related tasks. Once complete, make sure to follow any policy and procedure for incident reporting required by the facility.
Contact whoever is in charge, go over what happened and document the hell out of it. Depending on what happened, you may want to take it to the nurse manager as well. Explain your case as soon as possible, and again, just be honest. And at this point don’t beat yourself up; stay strong and finish your shift and the care of your patients.
Next, always call your recruiter. As an employee of a travel nursing agency, you will need to include them in anything that happens. Your agency may have a clinical liaison who can help you deal with these incidents, as well. Trust me on these important steps: I’ve been there. We all make mistakes and have to be upfront when dealing with them.
Your responsibilities as a travel nurse are similar to that of a staff nurse when it comes to patient safety and incident reporting; just make sure you cover all your bases and follow the protocols and reporting policies.
[RELATED: Four Ways Travel Nurses Can Support Safety Cultures]
Do You Have a Question About Travel Nursing?
Send your questions to Aaron. You can also find answers to FAQs, learn more about why nurses travel, or find your ideal travel nursing job with TravelNursing.com.
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