Here's the background: I am currently a student in the healthcare industry and will be (along with doctors and others) responsible for the well-being of many critical care patients in a hospital setting when I graduate. I chose this field because I love to help people and felt that I was wasting my love of science and problems solving on office jobs. Of course, as most health industry jobs, the pay is very good for the amount of schooling required and this contributed to my decision as well.
Here's the problem: I am having some anxiety about the idea that I may make a mistake someday and it could really hurt someone. I am a smart girl, but very senesitive and I don't know if I could handle the guilt of somethinglike that. Do any other healthcare students have these fears?
2006-10-01 02:40:28 · 3 answers · asked by J B 2 in Health ➔ Other - Health
Everyone who's a decent person is going to have fears like that.
You'll have people you'll help treat and maybe it won't be perfect each time, but that's what the follow up is for. Sometimes there are several issues and maybe you solved one problem and now that it's solved, the secondary problem becomes visible.
Healthcare is a process and never instant. You know that by now, I'm sure. I've been in the biz for 13 years and I do make mistakes on occasion and I feel quite awful when I do. But I fix them and it's ok. I'm in the lab, so my results are used to treat people. When I do make a mistake, it's corrected and the doctor is notified before any action can be taken.
If you always follow the procedures and protocols and do what you were trained to do, you'll be fine.
Welcome aboard the health-train! It's definately worth it. Your community is going to be so much better with someone with your moral values in the field.
2006-10-01 02:51:28 · answer #1 · answered by T_Jania 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you DIDN'T have such fears, I would be concerned about your vigilance and therefore your competence. Use that wonderful trait to your, and your patients' advantage.
And yes, it is stressful, when I first got into the profession, I would lay awake at night going over everything I had done, hoping there were not mistakes. Hopefully, you will incorporate this level of concern into your psyche and be energized by it, otherwise, you will have to guard against "burn-out" suffered by so many in the intense areas of medicine, like ER, ICU, etc.
2006-10-01 02:46:18 · answer #2 · answered by finaldx 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Recent grad speaking here. I know exactly what you mean. It gets worse when you have your first patient and you just pray that you don't miss anything. Once you get out, you get into a groove and you are able to remember things that you couldn't before. You'll be fine, best of luck!
2006-10-01 09:33:46 · answer #3 · answered by jacobschiro 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋