Medication error

[purple unicirn, BSN]

Help I took a verbal order from a doctor and put it in the system wrong. It was for toradol. I put it in as 30mg now and 15 mg q 2 x 3. Our normal is totadol mg now and 15 mg q 6 hours x 3. I gave the patient the 30mg and the 2 15g all in 8 hours. Cannot believe I did this and pharmacy did not catch it. Not I on suspension pending and investigation. I have been at this same company and a nurse for 16 years with no mistakes.. I am freaking put

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

you wilk get through this

pitfalls of verbal orders

))hugs((

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

First of all, take a deep breath. You will survive this, even if it does adversely affect your employment. Most facilities do not fire for a single medication error that doesn't harm a patient (I am assuming there was no harm to the patient although you didn't say whether there was or not). The purpose of investigating medication errors is to fix the system.

Secondly, if that is your real name, I highly recommend you change your user name. Allnurses has many members, and you never know when someone you work with is reading your posts and recognizes you. Although some have been recognized even with an anonymous user name, why make it easier by posting under your real name?

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

Review how you put it in the system wrong. Did you think the dr ordered the dose you wrote? Or did you make a typo entering the order?

I wasn't allowed to take orders from mds during school. So, I knew very little about that process.

What I do now is read back the order. I double check the order after I print it (we use electronic systems ) and write it in the mar . If I'm working with a kind, helpful nurse, I ask that nurse if the order makes sense if I'm unfamiliar with the med and it's usual prescribed dose .

I'll admit, I'm slow. But I'd rather be in trouble with my facility for being slow than with the board of nursing for being wrong/negligent.

In school, I was taught that if a nurse gives the wrong dose that was ordered by the MD, it's the nurse who is responsible to know that the dose made no sense. This is why I'm cautious.

Oh, I'm also cautious because I was terminated from my first job for not writing the dose strength ordered on robitussin. Other nurses entered Coumadin orders wrong and weren't fired. But I was fired for not writing the dose strength of robitussin. Yes, I'm overly caution now and do double and triple check my work. Plus I bought malpractice insurance.