Nurses need to be Mature to turn Errors to a Positive Step

[hay913tets]

Nurses are at hard work to protect the lives of patients as everybody knows. As every business has a silver lining, so does the nursing world. The author who experienced nursing duty both in United States and Japan as a registered nurse focuses on a side of nursing work. Making errors is one of the stressful events. If making errors can be fatal to a patient's life, it is no wonder that the nurse must be serious not to happen again. Thus, how to address those mistakes is important. Yet, seemingly even minor errors that don't affect their patients can be a serious one in Japan. It is a phenomenon on that the nurses in Japan do not have much tolerance and rather too much sensitive on it. What makes them act in this way?

I realize that the nurses in Japan have less independency than in USA upon my experience. The dependency makes the nurses ask other nurses before intervention to their patients. Then, the dependent relation among the nurses lets them too empathetic each other. Hence, they are always too sensitive to others ‘performances each other because the nurse feels responsible for the intervention and the nurse who is asked also feels responsibility for what he or she says. Upon being afraid of making errors, the tendency shows up as their intolerance to even minor mistakes. No mistakes at work is ideal but we are all human who does mistakes. This tendency turns to negative environment at nursing work in Japan. I wonder if it is a favorable circumstance for the nurses to hold work engagement.

Openly talking each other at work regardless of age, sex, or any differences to perform work is healthy and helpful because we need to know if something new comes up. However, a casual circumstance at work to establish free asking in Japan is not always easy. For instance, new nurses are so much afraid of asking senior nurses for questions. At same time, they are blamed to do their performances without the seniors' permissions. Japan tends to be a vertical society including nursing in where younger nurses must listen to seniors without making any opinions to show complete respect and obey. It might be similar to a military circumstance where top-down command is must. They go to the seniors to receive directions because interventions without directions from them mean disrespect. The circumstance does not develop their independency as a result. In USA, they regardless of higher positions or older, they talk each other more casually and openly with their own opinions for better performances since they respect each other. There are more opportunities for that the nurses use their own judgement to develop their independency.

Another possible explanation why they are sensitive each other is a Japanese term called Murahachibu. It is a punishment in villages in traditional Japan for those who violate rules or orders. They are shut out of any communication until the punishment works. It represents traditional Japanese society that likes collectivism rather than individualism. (Wikipedia, 2016) If they see someone who is so different in appearance, thoughts, behaviors, or any, they develop dislike rather than acceptance. It can be applied to the nurses' work in Japan. If a nurse doesn't like another nurse, Murahachibu may start. The fear for the punishment may dominate the nurses. As a result, many choose loyalty and obedience rather than opening their mouths to confront. In this circumstance, a nurse who uses others' mistakes for oppressing opportunities become a powerfully prominent person at work in Japan. He or she is almost free to abuse other nurses because most of the nurses choose peaceful observation upon the fear from the oppressive nurse. This circumstance doesn't help the establishment of independency for the nurses.

It is totally wrong that this tendency is applied for all nurses in Japan. Many of nurses in Japan are very independent to judge and make opinions at work. This depiction is, however, typical describing the nurses in Japan. The nurses who uses others' mistakes for advantages corresponds to actions upon like and dislike to their co-workers. In USA, most of nurses are open enough to accept any nurses as a partner. Most of them have enough ability, tolerance, or acceptance such as sociability regardless of their personal preferences to other nurses. This type of maturity is important on how to develop a constructive-work environment among nurses because it makes the nurses generous to others. A constructive-work environment means that a mistake is a next step for a nurse rather than a chance for punishment. Of course, we are all human who sometimes shows our evil side with blaming someone unreasonably. However, it becomes too stressful for the nurses if the blame escalates or continues in an unconstructive way. If the work environment is constructive, such furious attitude or behaviors from a nurse to another nurse becomes a foolish action to nothing. A nurse needs to be mature enough to realize how important to establish a real relation among nurses. It ends up with healthy-working condition to develop their independency into work engagement.