when you miss an order

[nightengalegoddess]

Hi. New night nurse here, been days forever. Never missed an order in days for years. Missed a night order tonight. He only missed out on half litre of NS; but I still forgot to do it. Nights are great but new here and still acclamating ((but do like it) . Felt really bad for AM RN as that has been me in the past..."geez, you guys don't do anything nights, can't you fill the easy order?".........(said that in MY head minions of times coming in at 0700.......KARMA)....and then.......THE LOOK. I am very smart and sharp. During days used to pick up on all sorts of omissions.......sometimes raising an eyebrow as she did to me.......duh. Getting Jack Kerouac here...tired.....but question.........how do you respond, when, if you miss an order.......(offered to ERS.....she asked "what's that"). I offered to start IV......tattoos, (inky black arms).......HD.....(old fistulas everywhere).....tried times 3.....couldn't hit it. Now SHE is who I used to be in AM. Feel really bad and stupid. How do YOU respond. Know that in a month or so will get biorythymed to nights.......but first week; a little shabby with this one..........DO hate letting my kindred down.............Know it won't pose any problems for pt.......but RN now is forming the label for me........what do you do but to be as correct as possible in future? What do you say but "please forgive me"..............Blessings.....!!!

[Sun0408, ASN, RN]

It happens, that's why we have a double chart check to make sure everything is done.. I have found lots of things day shift missed or forgot to do and I am sure they have found lots that I missed over the shifts.. Nursing is 24 hours... I say "thanks for finding that, I don't know how I missed it" do you need any help?? If someone gets bit#hy about it, I will surely find one of their misses one day and let them know :) We are human, things do get missed.. I do my chart checks with a red pen and the computer right there and check each one off. If it is a fluid change etc or something I need to do for the pt, I write it on my brain sheet and check it off as it is done..

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Forgive me is a start......how about apologizing to all those night nurses you rolled your eyes at with THE LOOK when they forgot something. Stinks when the shoe is on the other foot doesn't it. Lessons learned? "Never call the kettle black" or "treat others as you yourself like to be treated".

24 hour chart checks are great to catch misses....make lists. and apologize when wrong. But it does take time to become acclaimated to nights.....good luck

[iNurseUK, RN]

When I hear my day shift whining about the lazy night shift or vice versa I always say the same thing "That is why we have nurses on 24/7. One shift can only do so much in a day or night"

Usually shuts 'em up! :)

[guestnurse]

We have all been there..done that. You can't be perfect all the time and none of us are but I say it's a 24 hr job, what you miss I"ll pick up, if I miss something I hope you do the same. I mean it was saline....not life or death here. We have to all be compassionate and understanding. In time she will see your true stellar performance as an asset to the unit. Hang in there.

[3dayRN]

I just missed and order last night. I was soooo mad when I found out. The order was written on day shift but was to be carried out on night shift. I was never told in report, never given a copy of the order. I asked the charge nurse, after I found out by the dayshift nurse that I missed the order. She said she was never even told about the order in charge report. I didn't do 24hour chart checks because I was busy and another nurse did them for me. There's no way I would have seen this order. I have made mistakes, who hasn't but I hate that I made an error because of another nurse. She should have passed on this information. Now, she did take the time to give me a new order written on her shift but it was the one written after the one I missed.