[danissa]

Originally Posted by inshallamiami

I recently spoke with a RN who was working in that ER when that happened. She told me that the nurse who gave the dilantin was a know it all and that she and others had noticed her with all those vials!

Evidently they did nothing!

Real Nice.

How shocking is that??? Disgusting people! i do hope they also pay for their part in this.

[cardiacRN2006]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

I walked in the med room to find one of our nurses pulling up vial after vial of Hepflush. Syringes everywhere. When I asked what the heck was she doing, she said she had a new order for 5000 units of SC heparin. That's when you just wanna

Oh my goodness! I can just imagine this happening. And was she still going to give all that fluid SC???

[kmm1234]

I have a hard time understanding a nurse that would go get that much Dilantin and not relize she was making a mistake. As for those that saw this happen and said nothing, I agree that they should be held accountable as well. I had a similer experience with insulin years ago. The patient was to get 4units of Regular and the nurse drew up 40units. Thank God she followed protocol and had a second nurse, myself, check behind her. I know it is hard to point out others mistakes because when this happened to me I was not sure what to say at first but when a patient's life is at risk you don't keep you mouth shut. I don't care how much of a know-it-all she might have been. The nurses that stood by and watched are at fault as much as the nurse giving the medication in error. That is not just mean but a patient died and that should be on everyone's heart.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Originally Posted by kmm1234

The nurses that stood by and watched are at fault as much as the nurse giving the medication in error.

More so, IMO. There's nothing to indicate the nurse was malicious in committing this error. These others stood by and watched it happen and yet didn't intervene. Calling her a "know-it-all" implies there was some satisfaction in watching her make a mistake and that they knew the mistake was a big one. So their actions were malicious, and I think that they should not only lose their licenses but be criminally prosecuted as well.

[CraigBSN02]

Wow, this thread is still going! :-)

I remember someone asking where to get a copy of the article in question. Since it's almost 2 years old, you can only purchase the article from Sun Sentinel. Try this link:

http://tinyurl.com/3bcyux

The cost is $3.95, not too bad.

[danissa]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

More so, IMO. There's nothing to indicate the nurse was malicious in committing this error. These others stood by and watched it happen and yet didn't intervene. Calling her a "know-it-all" implies there was some satisfaction in watching her make a mistake and that they knew the mistake was a big one. So their actions were malicious, and I think that they should not only lose their licenses but be criminally prosecuted as well.

Totally!!!! Well said Emmanuel! absolutely makes your blood boil reading about their actions/omissions doesn't it! Wonder if these accesories can face themselves in the mirror in the morning, or sleep at night? how unfortunate that these are supposedly fellow nurses.

[Mulan]

It's amazing how people in nursing will sabotage others, set others up, let others make mistakes.

[AU-RN]

not that this hurt a pt...but how do you like a nurse i know that gave the PO contrast ordered for abd scans and she gave it IV!!!!!!!!!! No one was sure how she could have made this mistake but she wasnt working there any longer not too long after it happened. She was a new nurse but still...that one still baffles me.

[TrudyRN]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

More so, IMO. There's nothing to indicate the nurse was malicious in committing this error. These others stood by and watched it happen and yet didn't intervene. Calling her a "know-it-all" implies there was some satisfaction in watching her make a mistake and that they knew the mistake was a big one. So their actions were malicious, and I think that they should not only lose their licenses but be criminally prosecuted as well.

First, we have only the report of only one nurse who allegedly said she was a know-it-all. We know neither party, didn't hear the reporter say this. Not saying she didn't say it, just want to take a slow, measured approach here.

Next, those who "stood by and watched and gloated", shall we say, likely also did not realize that someone was committing a deadly error. Surely they would have spoken up had they realized.

Maybe I'm just in de Nile or maybe I can't take harsh reality or maybe I just don't know the blackness of peoples' hearts but it is very hard for me to accept that someone could knowingly let someone else make a mistake of this magnitude. I am just physically sick to think that other nurses would actually let this happen if they had the chance to prevent it.