Starting your nursing career in a new country can be exciting yet overwhelming. As you enter a new work environment in the U.S., you can expect that some things will be different than what you were accustomed to in your country of origin.
Understanding the policies and procedures in U.S. hospitals is crucial to ensure a smooth transition and to provide the best care for your patients. As you prepare to start your nursing career in the United States, we want to provide information to help you practice safely. Our Clinical team provides Interstaff nurses with educational resources to ensure you are able to understand a hospital’s policies and procedures and to feel more comfortable as you transition to become a U.S. Registered Nurse.
Where to Find Policies and Procedures
Hospital policies and procedures must be kept up-to-date by hospital facilities. Due to the frequency of healthcare changes and policy updates, these are kept online and NOT as hard copies.
*Note — do not print off any policies and procedures. If a regulatory body were to audit the unit and find out-of-date printed policies and procedures, this could lead to fines and infractions for the facility.
Timeliness and Punctuality
Punctuality is a crucial aspect of professionalism and is an expectation in the US. Arriving ten to fifteen minutes before your shift starts gives you a moment to gather your thoughts and prepare for the day ahead. Being on time helps ensure a smooth handoff, avoiding any gaps in patient care and allowing outgoing nurses to finish their shifts on time.
When you arrive late for your shift, it can give hospital leadership and your coworkers the impression that you might not be fully committed to your role. This can affect their respect for you and make your workday less efficient.
It’s important to be at your workplace and ready to begin at the start of your shift. Arriving late can have various consequences, from progressive discipline to termination. Therefore, punctuality is imperative for maintaining a positive and productive work environment.
Breaks
It is a federal law that the hospital facility must provide you with a 30-minute lunch break. This is unpaid time. You should be clocking in and out for all meal breaks. If you are unable to take this break for any reason, you must get approval and documentation from your charge nurse stating the reason you were unable to take a break.
Nurses have been known to skip their breaks to prioritize wrapping up tasks or patient care. But like multitasking, missing allotted rest periods can be counterintuitive. It can lead to burnout, increased stress, and less effectiveness during the rest of your shift.
Informed Consents
Informed consent is the process by which the treating healthcare provider discloses appropriate information to a competent patient so that the patient may make a voluntary choice to accept or refuse treatment. In this process, the patient learns about and understands the purpose, benefits, and potential risks of a medical or surgical intervention through a conversation with the physician and then agrees to receive treatment. While the nurse can get the signatures on the consent forms, if the patient has any questions, they should be directed back to the physician and answered before the patient signs the forms. Always follow the policies and procedures of the healthcare facility.
Sleeping on Shift
Sleeping during a shift is never allowed and can lead to serious consequences, including termination.
If you start to feel tired during your shift, try staying active by tidying up, organizing, walking around the unit, or offering assistance to your colleagues. Engaging in conversations with your coworkers can also help keep you alert and build stronger connections.
Discrimination in the Workplace
Discrimination is defined as negative actions or lack of consideration given to an individual or group due to preconceived and unjustified opinions (National Institute of Health, 2023). Discrimination can occur in various forms:
- Direct
- Treated less favorably than others because of:
- A protected characteristic they possess
- A protected characteristic a friend/ family member/ colleague possesses (by association)
- Or thought to have a protected characteristic, whether they actually do or not (by perception).
- Treated less favorably than others because of:
- Harassment
- Unwanted conduct, violating a person’s dignity or causing intimidation, hostility, humiliation, or degradation.
Regulations Against Discrimination:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- A federal law that protects individuals in the workplace from being discriminated against based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, pregnancy, and age among others.
- This law also makes it illegal for an indiviudal to be retaliated against when they have brought up the concerns about discrimination.
- Facility Policy
- Your facility will have an employee handbook or registry of all policies and procedures. Become familiar with your facility’s policy on discrimination.
Interstaff is here to support you. Should you be faced with discrimination, please let the leaders at your facility know and inform us so we can advocate for you.
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If you have any questions about these processes or want to discuss some issues you’ve experienced, please email us at clinicalservices@interstaffinc.com.