Solutions

Solutions powered by
Learn More.
Frame 586 (1)

Quality Manager formerly known as abaqis®

Mitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.

Learn More

NEW TO THE STORE

hStream Content Marketplace

Connecting you to the Best Content. Access to 75 Partners and 35,000+ Courses in our Industry-Leading Marketplace. Streamline content purchasing, updates, hosting and connectivity for your organizational needs.

NurseGrid Learn

Online store for Clinical Learners. Individual CE Credit and industry products for Clinical Learners are now available through NurseGrid Learn (Beta). Explore our robust collection of courses that provides an unparalleled level of flexibility and choice.

DEA MATE Opioid and Substance Use for Practitioners

Meet the DEA's new requirement under the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act in an online and self-paced 8-hour DEA MATE Act course specifically designed for practitioners, including Physicians, PAs, NPs, Pharmacists, Dentists and others.

LATEST & POPULAR

BLOG

Join Us at Thrive24: The Ultimate HealthStream Credentialing User Group Conference!
BLOG

Gen Z Enters the Workforce: How Healthcare Can Adapt Training Programs for the Next Generation
BLOG

Telehealth: From Pandemic Tool to Preferred Option
On-Demand Webinar

State of the Industry: What’s Next for Healthcare Quality & Safety in 2024?
CUSTOMER STORY

Quantifiable results highlight switch to jane®
ARTICLE

10 Trends for 2024: Absorbing New Technology, Facing New Realities, and Solving Old Problems

< HealthStream Resources

blog-images_drs-patients_608x320_artboard-16_lg

Patient Safety In Nursing: The Nurse's Role

April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021

As a nurse, you learn from an early stage in your career that patient safety is a nurse’s top priority.

Nurses are at the bedside, monitoring and caring for patients 24/7. Nursing is an occupation that has long been revered because we are a specialized profession that utilizes our knowledge as well as compassion to provide care for people when they are in their most vulnerable state.

One of my earliest memories of patient safety in nursing school was when we were preparing to administer medications. Prior to being able to administer any medications, we had to successfully complete our pharmacology class. We had to have a working knowledge of different drug classes and how they affected the body. Even when we had completed the class and mastered different administration routes (such as oral versus intramuscular), we were not quite yet fully prepared to administer medications.

Prior to administering each medication, we had to ensure we understood the indication, any potential side effects, and any important monitoring that must be done. Once we were prepared, we then had to verify the five rights of medication administration (the right patient, drug, dose, route, and time). This process occurred for every patient and every medication we administered.

While it may seem like a burdensome practice to some, it is all in the name of patient safety. Nurses do not simply follow orders. We are expected to assess, treat, and evaluate our patients. We need to have a deep understanding of how and why we are treating patients and how that treatment affects our patients.

The above example is one of the most rudimentary ways in which nurses play a role in patient safety; however, it sets the precedent for how we approach patient care in every other way. Even the most seemingly simple of tasks requires careful planning and understanding. Whether you are administering Tylenol for a headache or administering chemotherapy for a patient’s first round in the fight for their life, introducing yourself when you meet a patient for the first time or reporting an assessment finding that prevents a code from occurring, you are always taking the steps to ensure every aspect of your patient’s safety is upheld.

About the Author

Nicole Kraut currently works as a RN on a medical-oncology unit in Chicago, Illinois. She serves as the night shift Team Leader for the unit, in which she serves as the charge nurse and participates in leadership activities. She has been a RN for over five years. Nicole shares, “I have had the opportunity to be a new hire preceptor and have worked with fourteen new hire staff RNs. Along with being a preceptor, I have been a facilitator for our New Graduate Mentor Program, which allows new graduate nurses a place to meet once a month to learn from each other and to share their experiences.”

Nicole graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Loyola University Chicago and recently obtained a Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Nursing Education from Grand Canyon University. She “was inspired to become a nurse because I wanted to work in a career field in which I could make a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis. I feel nursing is my vocation and am passionate about sharing my knowledge and experience in order to positively influence others.”

Download HealthStream’s new eBook: The Urgent Priority to Keep Each Patient Safe.

Contact HealthStream to speak to a solutions expert learn more about our courses related to Patient Safety.