This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.
Perhaps you forgot to pass along an important message. What if you messed up your schedule and missed an assignment. Maybe you accidentally dropped a possession belonging to a resident and broke it.
Everyone makes mistakes, including volunteers. Fortunately for us, our mistakes usually aren’t a matter of life and death. As volunteers, we probably won’t get fired.
Even so, our mistakes might cause inconvenience, financial loss, or hard feelings. So, what should you do if you make a mistake while volunteering at the nursing home?
Admit your mistake
While it might be tempting to hope nobody notices your mistake, it’s best to fess up. This prevents people from wasting time and becoming frustrated while trying to figure out what happened. Furthermore, it avoids the possibility that someone else is blamed for your mistake.
Perhaps you believe that your reputation will get tarnished if people know about your error. In reality, you’ll probably gain respect from others if you own up to your mistake and take responsibility for correcting it.
Apologize and correct the problem
Whenever possible, apologize in person for your mistake. This doesn’t mean you need to grovel in remorse. Simply make a sincere apology and then offer a way to fix the problem.
Stop beating yourself up
Remember that part of being human is making mistakes. Once the error is corrected, it’s important to forgive yourself and move on.
Do whatever helps you get it off your chest. Perhaps this means going for a run, talking it out with a good friend or another supportive volunteer, praying about it, or writing down your thoughts.
If your mistake caused no harm except to make you feel embarrassed, try to see the humor in the situation. Other people have embarrassing moments, too, and they probably didn’t notice your blunder as much as you think they did.
Don’t blame somebody else
I see this happen fairly often in health care. The night shift blames the day shift. The nursing department blames the dietary department. The caregiver blames the manager, and the manager blames the caregiver.
In the end, this only leads to hurt feelings and an atmosphere of mistrust. Plus, it does nothing to solve the problem.
Look for the cause
This is the most crucial part of the process because it helps prevent you or someone else from making the same mistake again in the future. First, take a look at yourself. Did the mistake happen because you were overly tired? Were you distracted or in need of a break? Did you take on more than you could handle?
It’s also important to look at the system and see if there’s anything in the facility’s routines or procedures that contributed to the mistake. This doesn’t mean you blame others for what happened. It simply means that you look for ways to make positive changes that could help prevent this type of mistake in the future.
Have you ever made a mistake when you were volunteering? What tips would you offer to help another volunteer handle this situation?
Leave a Reply