written up already!

[janetrette]

By Dec. 27, it's going to my 6th month evaluation and already I had been written up!!! My patient had a bone marrow aspiration biopsy and needed to keep NPO after midnight and he was keep NPO. It wasn't until the day during shift report I realized that there was an order to administer IV fluids. I felt bad since i really didn't see that order. The next thing I know I am being written for that. The patient wasn't diabetic for fyi. I understand it's my fault but felt somewhat discouraged. I feel right now my manager is eyeing me all the time right. now. I had my 5th month evaluation and he said i'm doing so well. but this was all before this incident. I feel discouraged. I know my patient isn't harmed at least. I hate to put everything in an excuse but I got my shift report from not the greatest person to get report from. The person who wrote on me was a float nurse.

My manager discussed with issue with me and wanted me to sign the paper in another time. Should I sign it? There are so many things that I could written up on others but still debating about that since I'm still kinda new. Like for instance, that same nurse that report to me didn't give the 2 K ryders order at 930am. When I go into my shift, I asked her did you give it? She said no. I had to call pharmacy to get the Kryder which they didn't give it to me only gave me 1 of the 2 Kryder. After the 1st one finished I made the doc order a BMP for the K. That nurse said, it's not a big deal. The k is only 3.2

I feel like a mixture of feelings.

[Grayeagle]

Ok .. the correct response to someone who says you gotta stay to repay a sign on is 'Bill Me'

..if it sucks to work there it sucks to work there.

Don't do it.

Life is too short to put up with abuse.

-Frank (heck tell em you'll pay off the sign on bonus at 5 bucks a week or they can see you in court if you really want to screw with em :)

[suanna]

Being written up is part of the process. Health care is an exacting science and nurses are on the front lines. Every day we preform a hundred tasks that have the potential to cause harm or promote recovery. When I make an error I expect to be written up. I'm not talking about being 45min late on a multivitamin but mistakes that did or could have compromised a patients recovery. A mistake now and then doesn't make a bad nurse and a write up is nothing to be afraid of if it is applied fairly. If we don't track staff that are constantly making errors the hospital can't get rid of the nurses who my not be able to handle the job. I"M NOT SAYING THIS IS YOU!, but I've worked with bad nurses that make life harder of everyone on the unit. Thier peers don't want to "write them up" for fear of retaliation or just because "snitching" is considered bad. If everyone is held to the same standard it is up to the unit manager to decide if a problem exists and how to correct it. They can't make that determination without input from the staff. A good manager can use thier professional judgment to evaluate the seriousness of the problem. I have changed jobs before when I didn't feel the director was using good judgment in weighing these issues.

[al7139, ASN, RN]

Hi there,

I had almost the same thing happen to me. I had a new admit, who had TONS of orders. I also had an extremely busy patient load on top of the admission. It was not until I was doing my chart checks at the end of shift that I realized that my new patient was supposed to be on IV fluids! He had been admitted shortly after I came on, so had gone almost the entire shift without the ordered fluids. I started the ordered fluids, then I immediately went to my ClinII and told her that I had overlooked this order, and asked if I needed to do an incident report. She was very understanding, but agreed that I needed to report it. In my hospital, when we do an incident report, it is not the same as a write up from management. We are merely stating that this situation occured, and what was done about it. I never heard anything else about it again. You can bet I have learned from this incident, and would have accepted a write up if it had happened, but the most important thing is that I realized my mistake, fixed it, and owned up to it.

Do not beat yourself up! You are a new nurse, you are also human. Being both we are not perfect.

Even experienced nurses make mistakes.

As my manager said, "It's going to happen, just do what you can to learn from it, move on and try to prevent it in the future."

She also said to me "The fact that you reported it, instead of trying to cover it up, shows me that you care and have what it takes to be a good nurse. It's when nurses don't feel bad, and try to hide their errors, that we get worried."

FYI, some of my fellow co workers thought I was nuts for reporting myself, but I was educated that nurses should always be honest and ethical.

Amy

[starsINmyEYES]

hey, chin up. it happens to the best of us! things seem quite different over here, for example everyone's folder has a fluid prescribing chart (if they are on fluids), so even if it's not in the hand-over you can still check the patients charts. anyway, just fill in the incident report and be more vigilant in the future. this is how we learn! at least you didn't miss it completely!! good luck :-)

[starsINmyEYES]

Hi there,

FYI, some of my fellow co workers thought I was nuts for reporting myself, but I was educated that nurses should always be honest and ethical.

Amy

i totally agree!

[lorabel]

Thanks. I've been doing alot of thinking about all this. I fully take responsibility for anything I have done wrong......I dont like being written up for the verbal warning, but I feel it was a little unfair. for me to go to my director now and explain the way it really happened would be a moot point.....She would see it as me trying to blame someone else or something. What frustrates me and upsets me is that there are so many things I wasn't told in mr orientation period that it seems I'm expected to know......like the issue about the cart......no one ever told me I couldnt leave it parked and locked in front of the nurses station...I was too upset to even think to tell her that......I think it would have been more fair to me to tell me about it before issuing a formal verbal warning. Had I known, I wouldnt have done it! I see nurses do the exact same thing every day! I dont know if theyve been written up or not but I assume not because they continue to do it......Maybe this isnt as serious as it seems to me. i dont liike making mistakes.....but I do try to learn from them and not repeat them. I feel like i'm under the microscope........I really think I should try to trasnfer to another floor...worried about what my director would say to other directors? Would I even be able to be hired on another floor or am I blackballed in the network? I have not harmed anyone......i'm new and have so very much to learn. Maybe I could talk to the new hire support nurse and tell her my concerns and ask her about policy as far as the cart, etc I am willing to learn, but I can't learn in a hostile environment......I'm afraid the other nurses dont have much confidence i me....or it could be they are pulling for me and I dont know it? I have a knot in my stomache just thinking about work tomorrow. I used to be so happy and enjoyed my job. I love my patients and caring for them. i know there's a place for me in nursing...it jsut may no be where i am right now?

[Overland1, RN]

I am still amazed at how often people are "written up" for doing something wrong, but are almost never "written down" for doing something right. There will always be those who feel a need to report the actions of others - makes them feel better about themselves, I guess.

We have an incident reporting system where I work, but it is not punitive; instead, it is meant to be the beginning of a fix for problems which can and will occur. Of course, prevention is always the best fix. Does you facility do 24-hour (or more frequent) chart checks? When I worked ICU, we went to "Q-shift chart checks", which were included in face-to-face report. Drips would be checked as well, and the number of errors (and near-miss incidents) dropped like a rock.

If you make a mistake, admit it, and find a way to prevent it from happening again. Do not get caught up in the "write 'em up" way of doing business - it will only escalate and nobody wins. Some, possibly many, hospitals need to learn to catch people doing something right.

[labrador4122, RN]

the OP is from '05!! how are you doing now that you are an experienced RN?