Nurses are under tremendous pressure to perform various essential functions affecting lives. Here are some of their biggest fears.
1. Causing Harm
In surveys, blog posts, and personal interviews, general care nurses and hospital nurses overwhelmingly cite that the possibility of harming a patient is their biggest fear. “We are the gatekeepers of health,” an NP reported.
2. Missing Something
Nurses charged with specialized care of the most vulnerable patients (such as those in critical care, emergency medicine, or the NICU) cite missing signs of decompensation in patients as their biggest fear about their job. Nurses in other fields worry about missing important aspects of history.
3. Losing Your License
If anything goes wrong with patient care, the nurse is the first person to be cited. A single report about professional or personal misbehavior to the nursing board in some states can result in immediate suspension of a nursing license, and it can take two years or longer to complete the review process. During this time, you cannot practice. And the first question that will be asked when you apply for your next job will be, “Why was your license suspended?”
4. Litigation
People are quick to sue for damages, and many law firms regularly prosecute individual nursing professionals for claims, regardless of the claim’s viability. Even unfounded litigation requires you to hire an attorney, which is costly and often accompanied by suspension of your license pending the outcome.
5. Medication Errors
Medication errors are common in patient care and can occur at any point in prescribing, dispensing, or administering a drug therapy. Patients given the wrong drug or dosage of the proper medication can be irreparably harmed, and it only takes a minute to make a mistake.
6. Getting Caught in the Middle of Family Drama
Patients’ families are usually highly emotional when dealing with their loved one’s medical crisis, and they often leave their coping mechanisms — and their civility — behind. It’s stressful enough for nurses to manage the medical challenges of a patient’s care, but they frequently must also navigate family members’ emotional involvement.
7. Forgetting Your Training
This may be an irrational fear for most. Still, nurses constantly worry that in a critical situation, such as a code blue, they will blank out and forget to follow protocols they were trained to follow in nursing school or even ones they have executed before in practice.
FAQs
1. Causing Harm. In surveys, blog posts, and personal interviews, general care nurses and hospital nurses overwhelmingly cite that the possibility of harming a patient is their biggest fear.
What is the nurses biggest fear? ›
Nurses' fears and risks include patient harm, changing healthcare environments, and psychological and physical harm.
What is the biggest fear of nursing school? ›
Students worry whether they will be able to work, how they will support themselves (and their family, if they have one) and still have enough time to study. One way to assuage some of this fear is to ask for help. If you have a child, ask your family members or friends for their assistance.
What is fear of failure in nursing? ›
Nursing student who lives with fear of failure often feel emotionally disturbed absolutely certain that they will fail, even if that is baseless. This sense of insecurity can interfere with their thoughts, emotions and actions. Effective intervention is essential that reduce the fear of failure in students.
What is the biggest challenges nurses face today? ›
Potential Nursing Problems You Could Face in Your Career
- Inadequate Staffing. Being short-staffed for brief periods of time is common in most professions, and in many of those situations, it is a minor inconvenience. ...
- Stress. ...
- Unsafe Conditions. ...
- Workplace Violence.
Some common weaknesses in nurses include: excessive focus on paperwork and getting every detail correct. failing to connect with patients, and not building a strong rapport. attempting to multitask and taking on too many different challenges at one time.
What is the hardest thing about nursing? ›
Here are some of the challenges nurses face in their profession:
- Long shifts. Nurses often work 8- or 12-hour shifts. ...
- Changing schedules. ...
- Emotional involvement. ...
- Physical demands. ...
- Exposure to illness and chemicals. ...
- Lack of nurses. ...
- Changing technology. ...
- Poor treatment from patients.
Most of the student participants, regardless of academic year, shared similar fears pertaining to unintentionally making a medical error that would hurt a patient.
What are the fears of clinical nursing students? ›
From fear of committing errors, to fear of botching practical clinical skills, to feelings of a lack of support from nursing personnel, student nurses harbor many misgivings, especially about their initial clinical rotation.
Why do nurses fear change? ›
Organizational values including organizational culture, negative organizational perception, and conflict with organizational identity also play a fundamental role to cause nurses' resistance to change. Understanding organizational orientations may hinder the adoption of new evidence-based programs and practices [26].
Here's a practical four-step process to overcome your fears.
- Acknowledge your fear. Afraid to speak to your clinical leader? ...
- Feel your fear. Pay attention to what fear does to you physically. ...
- Picture yourself conquering your fear. ...
- Believe that you can conquer your fear and do something to make it happen.
Anxiety in nursing school can harm academic performance. Some common anxiety triggers for nursing students include fear of failing, not living up to expectations, or fear of hurting a patient. Nursing students can lower anxiety levels by being prepared, using resources, taking time to relax, and practicing self-care.
What are the nursing goals for fear and anxiety? ›
The client will develop effective coping skills, as evidenced by employing adaptive strategies, such as deep breathing exercises, positive self-talk, and engaging in preferred activities, to manage and reduce anxiety symptoms during times of distress.
What are common fears of breastfeeding? ›
The list is endless but below are some common worries you may experience:
- Is my child eating enough?
- Is my child gaining weight?
- Am I feeding too frequently/frequently enough?
- Is the baby's poo the right colour?
- Are they safe where they are sleeping?
- Will my baby nap today?
