Jo’s laws of nursing: revised and updated!

iStockphoto | Thinkstock + Scrubs

First Law: If you have to jack with it, it’s wrong.

We’ve all heard stories about nurses who put oral contrast through central lines or flushed medication into drains. Thankfully, those sorts of mistakes are rare and becoming more so, for one simple reason: Most of what we do has been made foolproof.

That said, if you have to jack with it, it’s wrong. If your syringe doesn’t fit into a particular port or you have to go through myriad mathematical gymnastics to make a medication dosage work out, or if you’re having to reprogram a pump every 30 seconds, take a step back and look at what’s going on. Go through the problem step by step and get a second pair of eyes to look at it with you.

Pay attention to your intuition –>

For more Career Advice for Nurses pick up the latest issue of Scrubs magazine, available at a retail store near you!

Jo, RN

'Jo, RN' is the author of the wildly popular nurse blog, Head Nurse. More

POST YOUR RESUME free in our new job board. The top recruiters nationwide check out our scrubsmag.com nurses every day. We've already helped many of you find your dream jobs. Click here to be next!

Post a Comment

You must or register to post a comment.

5 Responses to Jo’s laws of nursing: revised and updated!

  1. Pam Rossano

    Loved this

  2. Nikki

    entertaining AND eye-opening… loved it

  3. Shannon

    LOVE THIS… especially the first law. I’ve said many times, (and will say again, I’m sure) “Make it hard for me to screw something up.”

    Keep up the good work!

  4. JerZFox
    • RN

      Registered Nurse

    My gut and instincts are usually wrong.

    • Granny RN
      • RN

        Registered Nurse

      Give it time. Instincts and ‘gut feelings’ are the response from your brain when it starts to give a response based on all of the ‘data’ that it has taken in. Like a sentient computer.
      You WILL get there and then you will try to argue with your ‘gut instincts’ (what Older Nurses do) but you will find that the ‘data stream’ response was RIGHT after all!