I am a klutz -

Last Friday, a patient was on a Tele-Mon (a small portable telemetry machine about the size of a boombox) and there there numerous wires not tied up in an orderly manner. I am very anal retentive about tubes and wires all over the floor and not arranged in a safe manner. As i cared for my patient I proceded to rubber band the excessive wires so nobody would trip and fall. Well, I tripped, but rather than me falling it was the Tele-Mon falling to the floor. After some tense moments, My boss came to the room to see if everyone was okay. I assured her we were fine but the Tele-Mon would need to be repaired since it was damaged by the fall.

Boss told me to "Red Flag" the equipment and call clinical engineering for it to be repaired. Told her I would do so. That shift later became Bedlam and I was to busy with my other patiets to get basic care done.

Cut to Monday NOC shift. I get a call from my boss at 0430. SHe calls to inform me that I did not take proactive measures to ensure safety of patients or my co-workers. She saw the defective Tele-Mon in the supply room ("Red Flagged"). Her words she used to discribe the situation made me feel as though she was implying I deliberately broke the machine - "But you broke it". She tells me over and over about the cost of the Tele-Mon (she said it costs $40,000 - I looked online - It really costs $3,000) and how I broke it.

Not only am I such a terrible person here but I also am negligent and stupid. HELLO! Common sense says that if a machine has a busted broken monitor ...the staff will have the knowledge not to use it.

I am ****** off at this for a few reasons. 1. Since she was there when this happened, she as the manager could have been a little more helpful and got the ball rolling with the other departments rather than putting it all on me.
2. It was unprofessional of her to call me up and imply that I was a klutz and remind me more than once that the $40,000 piece of equipment was broken.

In a nutshell i am jsut venting....I am in a bad mood and since i am familiar with the politics of allnurses.com, I am ready to take the blame and be the scapegoat here. My actions could have killed a patient. I am a terrible nurse. I am a Klutz.