While working in a hospital or in a medical environment, you’ll usually come in contact with fluids, utensils, and machines that could be harmful. One of the important considerations in healthcare is nurse safety in order to prevent illnesses from spreading and to prevent injuries from occurring. Here are a few tips for staying safe no matter what area of the medical field you work in as a nurse.
Working With Needles
As a nurse, you’ll usually work with needles of some type during the day. You might give injections to patients or start intravenous lines. As a part of nurse safety in your work environment, you need to be patient while using needles and wear the proper attire while holding the equipment that is used. Most of the time, gloves are sufficient as these will usually protect your skin. However, if there is a possibility of contagion or if you’re working with fluids, then you should wear eyewear, a mask, and a gown to protect all areas of your body.
Protect Your Back
When you work with patients and equipment all day, such as portable X-ray machines and beds, you need to make sure you’re doing everything possible to protect the muscles in your back. Bend with your knees while lifting with the muscles in your legs so that you take the pressure off of your back, especially when you’re moving patients, or you’re pushing heavy objects.
Allergies
Sometimes, you might come across things that you’re allergic to that you didn’t know would cause a reaction, especially if you’ve never been exposed to those items in the past. Latex gloves are a common allergen for many nurses. Medications that you administer as well as vaccines that you need in order to work as a nurse can cause reactions as well. Once you discover that you’re allergic to something, you need to do what you can to stay away from it in the workplace, having someone else to work with those items if needed.
Learn more about how to stay safe while working as a nurse by contacting Sharp Fluidics.
