Am I In trouble?

[gwafuh_rn]

I worked last Tues,night shift (7pm - 7am). An lvn was the one who endorsed me the patients that i will be taking care during my shift.One of the pt has an order of vancomycin iv q tuesday and it was written at 02:00 pm by the pharmacist?The lvn told me that it was given already so the next dose will be next tues.Vital signs were taken by the cna.by 1200am the temperature was 102.8 as reported by the cna.I gave the pt tylenol 650 mg.By 4am it was 103.8 so I called the doctor and told that the pt has a high temp.I also told my supervisor the pt's condition.My supervisor even checked chart for present/past orders,labs,etc.Until the end of my shift,the doctor didnt call back so I endorsed it to the am nurse.wednesday afternoon,the am supervisor told me that the pt had a sepsis beacause the vancomycin was not given and is now in ICU.The pt is not in distress,just a high temp because of sepsis.Am i in trouble??!!! Hope the experienced nurses here will give me an advice..

[palmettogirl]

This is not just your fault. I have had this happen to me several times where the med was not scanned but the nurse before me told me she gave it. I have called the nurse before me to ask if they have given a med and tell them I'm just double checking because it was never scanned. Although, I have just assumed the nurse gave it (since they told me they gave it) and just forgot to scan the med. The vanc should have been hung on first shift. So it's their fault too, not just yours. Like others have said, this is probably not the ONE factor that put them in the unit. if a pt. can go septic from missing one dose of antibiotics, then they needed to be on more aggressive therapy. I have pt.'s getting vanc twice daily for weeks along with every other antibiotic to name...

[Tait, MSN, RN]

gwafuh, pick up malpractice.

www.nso.com

I agree. I just did the same myself a few weeks ago.

Tait

[nyteshade, BSN]

In regards to the the very high temp, and the MD not calling back...isn't there a protocol in place to do blood cultures or something? Maybe even a rapid response team, to show that the temp wasn't ignored?! I too, suggest malpractice insurance.

[egglady, LPN]

I would have questioned the order from the get go. Military time has the "0" before the number for am. Such as 0200 would we 2 am. 1400 would be 2pm. I would also say it is a pharmacy or transcription error. there is no such thing as 0200pm.

[gwafuh_rn, BSN, RN]

can anyone explain what I Need to do in nso.com?

[gwafuh_rn, BSN, RN]

what's the meaning of desired limit of liability (Per Occurence/Annual Aggregate)?Im trying to sign up in nso.com

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

That is the amount of coverage - what they'll pay PER INCIDENT should someone successfully sue you.

Get the maximum. And you are doing a smart, smart thing.

The error was not your fault, but not insisting that the nurse who claims it was given sign on the blank space was. COVER YOUR BUTT.

:)

[angel4gramma]

Lesson to learn from. I doubt you will lose your license. The manager should speak to you and suggest how it can be prevented next time. It doesnt matter if others were at fault because you had an unsigned MAR and you didnt do the 24hr check. Both should have been done. The RN needed to be called in am to see if it was given. This is a common mistake so don't be so hard on your self. Please do the 24hr checks because they find lots of mistakes.

[oramar]

It was written on tues at 2pm by the pharmacist.I worked at tues(7pm - 7am).Am I the only one at fault?

Absolutely, you are not the only one at fault. I think there is to much worrying about fault. I think it was wrong of the supervisor to come up and lay it on you like it was your fault.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

No, you are not the only one at fault, but as nurses, a big part of our job is catching and correcting the mistakes of others. That is the portion of it that falls into your realm of responsibility, so yes, you do share some of the responsibility here. Not all of it, but some.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

I would have questioned the order from the get go. Military time has the "0" before the number for am. Such as 0200 would we 2 am. 1400 would be 2pm. I would also say it is a pharmacy or transcription error. there is no such thing as 0200pm.

I kinda was a little confused by the way the time is written as 0200pm. But, 2 in the morning seemed a very odd time to give a weekly vanc dose. Actually, a weekly vanc dose seems a little odd to me, but maybe that is used in other areas.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I kinda was a little confused by the way the time is written as 0200pm. But, 2 in the morning seemed a very odd time to give a weekly vanc dose. Actually, a weekly vanc dose seems a little odd to me, but maybe that is used in other areas.

Me, too. But I don't know.