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Being a nurse in 2022 is tough. Following the fall-out of COVID-19, there are more protocols and procedures in place that nurses need to stay on top of to ensure that their patients are kept safe and well.
So, as you can imagine, more senior roles in nursing have become a bit more complicated too. Therefore, if you have recently trained as a family nurse practitioner, you may be wondering how you will be able to survive in clinical practice. After all, as a senior nurse, you have responsibilities and obligations and are the point of contact for all the nurses where you work.
However, don’t panic. Here are some tips to help newly qualified family nurse practitioners feel more at ease in this role.
Use Medical Databases
OK, so rest assured that this isn’t cheating, but also consider that as a human, you can’t be expected to know everything about nursing, medications, and protocol. Also, you will need to apply the knowledge you learned on your online FNP degree from UIndy to clinical practice, but you might have a bit of a jolty memory, making this harder.
So, it is wise to turn your attention to databases like UpToDate, which can showcase a range of free medical information and advice quickly and easily. Depending on where you work, your hospital may already have it in place for you to use. It is that good.
Use Templates
Paperwork is the bane of most nurses’ existence, and as a family nurse practitioner, you will have even more bits to fill in.
So, draw up some templates of basic questions to ask your patients when they come into your practice. This will ensure that you don’t forget to ask key questions such as family history, smoking status, health status, and date of birth. Having templates on hand will save a lot of time and a lot of stress too.
Verbal Reports
With modern dictation software, writing verbal reports is easy and saves time, not to mention, that it also puts less pressure on your wrists.
You will need to be concise when making verbal reports, but you will also need to remember to include all the important information, which is another reason why the aforementioned templates can be so handy.
Start with mentioning the patients’ age, weight, sex, physical presentations, suggested treatment, medications, and follow-ups. Then, as you get more comfortable with verbal reporting, you can add more detail.
Read Notes
If you are a family nurse practitioner working in a doctor’s surgery, you will likely have several patients referred to you. So, it makes sense to read their medical notes as much as you can before they arrive, so that when they are in your office, you can focus on them completely.
Have A Good Attitude
To be a good family nurse practitioner, you must be confident. You must be humble, and you need to be able to trust your instincts. Accept that you will make mistakes, show empathy to your patients and you will likely ace it in this senior position.