You have the responsibility of giving the finest care you can to patients as a nurse. Keeping up with everything in your profession can be tough, but these tips will make things easier! We’ll reveal 15 nurse life hacks in this blog post that will make your nursing career so much simpler.

1. When you prime your IV, go as slow as possible

This is because tiny air bubbles can easily be formed when you go full blast with the flow. Therefore, you can start with clamp the tube, then fill the drip chamber and let the fluid flow slowly.

2. When using a tourniquet, you should use gauze to prevent hair pulling

Patients can be suffered from pain because of the friction with hair created by a tourniquet. You can try placing a thin sheet of gauze in between the tourniquet and your patient’s skin to handle this problem. 

If you want to become a nurse, read more about: HESI A2 vs TEAS: Which Exam Is Suitable For You?  

3. Removing blood stains by hydrogen peroxide

When blood left stains on your white uniform or favorite scrub suit and you have to wear them for your entire shift, those blood stains make you look as you’ve just had a battle. But don’t worry, you can easily remove these stains by dropping a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on them. Hydrogen peroxide is considered a stain remover. 

4. Prevent pinching 

Another interesting life hack you need to know is folding a washcloth and tuck it under the front of the bedside commode seat to prevent pinching. 

5. Try double insertion of Foley catheters when you didn’t hit the mark

Honestly, not only new nurses miss the mark but also a veteran fail doing this. Almost all nurses fail to get a foley cath to return when inserting it to a female patient. In this case, you should leave the first catheter in place and try the same procedure with another Foley catheter, aiming higher this time. 

6. Powder a bedpan 

Before you put a patient on a bedpan, remember to powder it. The purpose is to make it easier for evacuation. This life hack is very useful especially when you’re caring for obese patients. 

7. For patients who have a needle phobia

When you have to extract blood for patients who have a needle phobia, remember to ask them to take ten slow and deep breaths before starting to extract blood. The reason is patients can lessen fear and anxiety by deep breathing. 

8. When handling code brown, try the triple gloving method

The triple gloving method not only helps you save time but also limits the chances of your bare hands getting in contact directly with patient’s excretions. The first pair of gloves are used to clean your patient’s poop. The second one is meant for putting on a patient’s new diaper. And, using the third pair of gloves to place a fresh sheet on his bed and in disposing of waste.

9. Eliminate unpleasant odors

Adding grounded coffee beans in your station when you can’t stand the smell is another useful tip you need to know. Coffee powder is a good odor neutralizer, so putting a small container filled with grounded coffee beans right at the center of the area to eliminate the unpleasant smells.

10. If you’re feeling nauseous, using alcohol swabs

You can relieve nausea immediately by swiping an alcohol swab under your nose. This life hack also is very useful if you’re suffering from sinus pain.

11. For stinky situations, put peppermint oil in your mask

When you or your patients feel like vomiting from the bad odors, you can try to place a few drops of peppermint oil in your face mask and breathe through your mouth.

12. You should wear two masks

When you wear two masks, you can smear toothpaste or peppermint oil on the inside of the second mask that helps you tolerate the smell. In addition, it also prevents you from getting toothpaste or peppermint oil on your face or mustache.

13. Using alcohol on matted hair 

Alcohol is a really useful substance in nursing life hack as it also can be used to remove tangles. You can apply a few drops of alcohol on tangle areas when you can’t get through your patient’s hair with a hairbrush. This tip makes your work easier and faster as the alcohol works by breaking any substance that’s causing the tangles. Remember to rub thoroughly alcohol on the hair but gently.

14. Giving patient’s family members a job to do

Involving family members in caring for patients is an effective nurse life hack because the family always wants to be helpful. You can assign them minimal tasks such as holding a hand during a painful procedure, so they will feel like they’re contributing. 

15. Fake a pulse

If you tell your patients you are counting their breaths, they will become alert and begin to breathe more right away. You cannot precisely read the patient’s respirations as a result. When checking a patient’s respirations, keep your true intentions hidden from the patient. You should pretend to be checking his pulse while keeping track of his breathing. It will also help if you can lay the patient’s arm over his or her chest so you can feel the rise and fall of the chest.

In conclusion, even though being a nurse is not a simple job, you may still find ways to make it so. To make your time at work simpler and more effective, try using our 15 nurse life hacks.

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