Tips for First-Year Nurses Entering Year Three of COVID-19

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Are you a first-year nurse looking to advance in the medical field? If so, you need to brace yourself for some of the latest medical challenges. For instance, since the pandemic started, people have realized the importance of quality medical care. Since you’re reading this post, you have come to the right place. Here are the tips for first-year nurses entering year three of COVID-19.

 

1) Be on the look for a high fever

Across all variants and medically-significant cases of COVID-19, one symptom remains constant: fever. So whenever you see one, make sure to notify your doctor immediately. This is because people tend to visit doctors when they have already broken out into high fever, which could cause complications if not handled immediately.

 

2) Check blood pressure and heart rate

When you perform a checkup, always look at the patient’s blood pressure and heart rate. These two are indicators of an individual’s health. Everybody always feels irritable or nauseous when they break out into fever. This is because they have developed high blood pressure, and that’s why you need to keep a close eye on it.

 

3) Don’t rely on the patient

Make sure to find patients who need assistance. If you talk to someone and you learn that they are not sick, ask them to respect your career so that you have the time to focus on individuals who need your undivided attention. This applies to your personal life as well as your professional one. However, it’s also important to detect when someone is sicker than they claim. Many people underestimate their condition, meaning nurses can’t count on patients to provide an accurate self-assessment. That’s what nurses and doctors are there to do.

 

4) Relax and have fun with friends

At times, you will be expected to work extra hard because of the pandemic. When this happens, be sure to relax and have fun with your friends after a long day at work. Have you ever heard that stress affects one’s health? This is true. That’s why you need to spare some time for yourself to have a healthy lifestyle.

 

5) Communicate with your team members

To save more lives, make sure to communicate effectively with your team members. You might be tempted to reveal some information about the patient’s condition, but this should be avoided. Also, avoid having side talks in the middle of an operation. This often creates confusion and delays in saving the patient. If you work together, you can better serve COVID-19 patients better and ensure that all of them are safe. Also, if your team members need help, you should always be available.

 

6) Always Improve Your Skills

The pandemic has shown the healthcare sector that there is always room for improvement. Thus, pounce on that opportunity and augment your skills. That could mean working with travel nursing companies to find challenging assignments in other parts of the country or signing up for optional health and fitness seminars throughout the year. Given the evolving nature of modern medicine, medical professionals must be willing to undergo new experiences and undertake new challenges to develop alongside the science.

 

7) Take responsibility for every task assigned to you

This way, you can avoid being chased by tasks. That’s because there is always a cut-off point where you can stop working on a specific task if it becomes too much. Note that people make mistakes when they work beyond their limits, resulting in fatal errors, which might land you in prison for medical malpractice. Therefore, the next time someone assigns you a task, make sure to set a limit and work within that boundary. It might be overwhelming initially, but everything will fall in place after getting used to it.

 

Conclusion

It takes years to develop all the skills required to handle COVID-19 patients. It takes determination and patience, but you can make it if you believe in yourself. That’s why never quit the profession even if you are overwhelmed. Also, do not leave your team members hanging because that might cause them to make some fatal mistakes. Finally, don’t forget to consult with your doctor about any side effects that you notice after taking COVID-19 medication.