med error not sure how to feel!

[erin01]

SO I got pulled aside by one of the senior nurses, who told me I had a med error. Now this is a nurse who has before chewed me out in front of others on something else. I was already on defense when she said she need to talk to me. She told me that i had given a man to many pills of vyotrin or something like that and could not remember his name. She said that the md had written the order wrong and i gave it. I vaguely remember because it was a lot of pills. I started to remember going back to the chart and checking the order. I have given meds that were a few pills d/t pharm not having brand, or exact dose pills. I remember it was a cholesterol drug, and it was not a huge flag to me. I have seen liptior 40 mgs ect before, and he was not a small man and had a history of high cholesterol. And i work on a cardiac floor so i think he was there for chest pain. So she said the patient called when he realized the error because it was a different than the dose that he was taken, and they had to call poison control and i was written up! i feel bad, but also confused. I did not go to medical school, i Am not a pharmacist, how could i have handled this differently? I asked the nurse and all she said was experience. Well i am only a rn 7m? What if the patient decides to sue? I dont see how i would catch and error like that? Any thoughts or suggestions?

[jenw922]

We ALL make mistakes, use this as a learning opportunity. I disagree with the charge nurse advice that "experience" allows you not to make mistakes. Your real "mistake" was recognizing that it seemed like a strange dose and giving it without a little research. When in doubt, ask - always! if you dont have medication sites on your intranet carry around a drug book. Always second guess yourself when something is unfamilar or just does not feel right - regardless if you have 7 months experience or 17 years of experience.

[SkiingCait, BSN, RN]

Pandora - thanks for that explanation...that makes complete sense :)

[diane227, LPN, RN]

First of all, you need to look at the chart and the MAR to see what you did. If you can't remember, don't take anyone's word for it. Second, was the medication printed on the MAR by the pharmacy or was it handwritten by someone else? Did you check the order?

Finally, I have to say that YOU are responsible for knowing the medications that you are giving. In the end you are responsible. Period. So, review the chart and the MAR and see what went wrong if anything and then talk to your manager and discuss the situation. Do you have access to the internet at work? There are many resources available on the web to look up the normal doses of medications. Plus if your facility does not have micromedex they need to get it.