I need advice on how I might have handled my situation today in a better way. Here's the deal...
Last Wednesday I was staffed on the medical unit where I work as a floor float (which means you help out with RN and nursing assistant duties, but do not have your own patient load). So in the afternoon, one of the nurses with a patient load (11 pt's) got really busy and rhymed off a list of stuff I could do to help her out. I was going to give 4 mg of Decadron to a palliative lady through a butterfly needle in her abdomen. I drew up the med and entered a different palliative lady's room and announced to the family that I was going to be giving Decadron to that pt. They jumped right on me (and rightfully so) before I had the chance to do my number check on the lady's ID band, and before I had the chance to notice that this particular lady did not have a butterfly in her abdomen. They said they thought I was mistaken so I apologized and said I would go double check the med sheet to make sure I had the right patient. I knew immediately after I left the room that it was the wrong lady, but I followed through with what I said I was going to do by checking the medication record. Sure enough, I had the wrong lady in mind and felt really bad.
I returned to the room to apologize to the family for my mistake, and everything seemed okay, they seemed only mildly annoyed at my potential error.
So today I was working a day shift and I had a patient load which included the lady I had had the mix-up with last week. I had just given her a medication and one of the people in the room (I thought she was a family member) asked if she could talk to me outside the room. She said she wanted to let me know how upset the family had been over what happened last week. Stupid me, I asked what happened! She said- When you almost gave "Rosy" the wrong medication, the family was extremely upset. She told me that she wanted me to know that they did not reported me, but that if they had, some people would love to see a young, new nurse like myself in such a situation. She told me that she was not a family member and that's why she felt she could take me aside. She went on to say that in a small town like the town we live in, if she had reported me and it had gotten around, that it would have stayed with me. She told me how she had watched me for the rest of the day (last Wednesday) and could tell I felt bad but that I should be more careful because no one is perfect. She then repeated how she didn't report me and how we lived in a small town again and again until I started to cry. I apologized again and let her know that I had let the nurse in charge that day know of my potential error (Which seemed to surprise her). I also told her I apprecited her sharing this information with me.
I am wondering, did I overreact by crying? I am having my period and feeling emotional. She just made me feel like a piece of crap.
I am wondering if she would have done the same thing if I was a more experienced nurse and did not look like I am fifteen years old (I am 28).
