Oftentimes, throughout this year especially, medical workers everywhere have proven themselves to be real-life superheroes. They are continuously working through long. The tiring hours with little to no breaks trying to treat those who have fallen ill. Or in today’s climate, fallen victim to coronavirus. It’s somewhat inarguable that they deserve endless amounts of praise and recognition for all of their hard work. Fortunately, its Nursing Assistants’ Week, presenting the perfect opportunity for the public to show dedicated medical professionals just how appreciated they are! Nursing Assistants’ Week can also be a great time for nursing assistants to refresh. It also reminds themselves of some of the key ways that they can stay safe during this time, and beyond.
These days, personal safety for nurses is just as important as personal safety for patients, especially in lieu of the pandemic. With this idea in mind, we have put together a list of tips for nursing assistants to follow whether it be carrying the Silent Beacon wearable panic button with you during the length of your shifts, or washing your hands regularly while on the job.
#1 Carry Silent Beacon Medical Alert Button with You Throughout Your Shift
Working long hours with almost no break-time may lead to a situation in which you find yourself feeling tired or unwell, and therefore feeling unsafe. Similarly, it’s not uncommon to feel fatigued or experience some level of faintness after being on your feet all day. Especially if you have been running around from patient to patient. Carrying the Silent Beacon with you at all times is a top tier safety precaution. Silent Beacon is a wearable panic button that calls any number including 911 while sending multiple people your live GPS location, essentially allowing for you to send alerts and call for help – instantly. Different emergencies require different responses, as many nursing assistants understand. Silent Beacon allows you to customize who you call for help, whether that’s 911, emergency services, a family member or friend, even phone numbers overseas.
The last thing you want is something else to worry about. And that is why silent Beacon is designed to give you more freedom? And that includes its battery, which can be charged through our USB Port. Program your Silent Beacon to send you and your emergency contacts an alert when your battery gets low. The device will serve as your own medical panic button, working to keep you safe while you work to keep your patients safe.
#2 Know the Risks Involved with Each Patient
Being a nursing assistant requires that you work with a large variety of patients throughout the day, all of which may be presenting different symptoms and illnesses. It’s crucial that before entering a patient room, you make yourself aware of the risks that are involved with doing so. If a patient is high-risk, for example, it’s necessary that you take extra precautions when entering and exiting. So that you do not transfer an excess of outside germs to the patient. And an excess of inside germs to the rest of the medical facility. Basically, understand the potential risks, and prepare for them accordingly.
#3 Be Responsible with Medications
As previously mentioned, nursing assistants are typically working with all different patients throughout the day. Each patient may have a different set of symptoms, and therefore a different set of medications. It’s understandable that you might be tired and groggy from working a potentially twelve plus hour shift. However, in the world of medicine, there can be no room for error. It’s extremely important that you double and triple-check that the medication you’re prescribing to or injecting into a patient is the correct one.
While managing patient medications is extremely important. It’s also important to be able to manage your own. If you’re supposed to be taking daily medication, be sure not to let your own exhaustion. The busy schedule gets in the way of you taking care of yourself. If you are unable to manage taking care of yourself, it’s going to be much harder for you to take care of the patients that are counting on you.
#4 Wash Your Hands Regularly While on the Job
All medical staff members know that cleanliness and hygiene are of utmost importance. Especially while on the job, however, it’s important that you remind yourself just how necessary it really is. Not washing your hands is one of the quickest ways that you can spread germs, and in a medical facility, germs are everywhere. If a nurse were to forget or simply avoid washing their hands, the effects could be detrimental. Carrying the germs from one patient room to another exposes each patient to a whole new set that they now have to fight off.
In the current state of the world, with the pandemic going on, it’s even more essential to wash your hands regularly. COVID-19 spreads person-to-person through coughing, sneezing, or talking. However, if you were to touch your face with a handful of germs and then go talk to a patient, you could very well be spreading the virus further. Proper handwashing lasts 30 seconds with both warm water and plenty of soap. Try singing “Happy Birthday” twice through, or the first 30 seconds of your favorite song to measure the time!
#5 Visit the Doctors Regularly
While you may be a medical professional yourself and think you can maintain your own health, it’s necessary that you see a doctor regularly as well. Scheduling annual physicals and any other needed appointments are extremely important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and, in turn, keeping both yourself and your patients safe. Essentially, practice what you preach!
During Nursing Assistants day, it’s important for the public to acknowledge all the hard work that you are doing to keep us safe, just as it’s important for you to refresh your memory with these safety tips for nurses. Carry the Silent Beacon with you to maintain proper safety tactics. And be sure to follow the rest of the tips as well for a happy and safe Nursing Assistants Day!
