Felt so bad, haven't checked if the patient have an iv.

Nurses Medications

Published

I felt so bad! The nurse told me that the patient have an iv access. I haven't checked it since I trusted the nurse who gave me the report. Now a nurse wrote me up for not properly assessing the patient. Is there a case in which a nurse could get fired because of it? This is my second mistake in a 6month period. I felt so bad--- mainly for myself because I felt too irresponsible.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

We need more information. Did the patients actually NOT have an IV and you charted a whole shift that they did? Or did they have one that was bad/infected/infiltrated, and you didn't assess and intervene? Did they have fluids running in it? You should always do your own head to toe assessment at the beginning of the shift. You chart and intervene on what YOU find, not what you get in report.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

He did not have an iv access the whole shift. I haven't got the chance to assess him because of the back to back admissions. Now I'm feeling bad about myself as a nurse. I am starting to doubt myself as a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatric LTC.

If you're told in report that a patient has an IV access, you need to assess it q shift and chart your own assessment. Here's a nice, brief thread regarding that. https://allnurses.com/infusion-nursing-intravenous/assessing-iv-site-342792.html

No matter how much you trust your nurse you are receiving report from, you are responsible for your own assessment. Change of status occurs, and some nurses are mistaken in their own assessments. You can only rely on yourself.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

No matter how busy you are, you must assess your patients. This is so much bigger than an IV or trusting the off going shift, you did not assess your pt...I hope this was a lesson learned but it may come at a high price. Yes, you could get fired for this and reported to the BON if the facility wishes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I just felt extremely bad but I do know that it is my fault for not double checking his IV. Is it normal to make mistakes? It's just that I doubt myself now because of what happened. This is the second time that I made a mistake. I felt irresponsible. And since this is the second time I made a mistake I am afraid that my manager might fire me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

What did you chart? If you falsified it then you probably are in trouble.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It is lesson LEARNED! That is for sure. I guess I gotta suck it up and face the consequences. I will know later what will happen, still waiting for my manager to contact me, or should I contact her?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

You can't document what you haven't done. You documented an IV that wasn't there....I was so busy will not absolve you in a court of law. It's falsifying the patients chart. Not at all good. We all make mistakes....how much you documented about that IV that is non existent is how much trouble you may be in. You HAVE to assess your patients......what if they needed an emergent IV med, there is no IV and you can't get one started and the patient dies because you can't get an IV line. It's easy to be over whelmed especially at first but some short cuts are too dangerous to take.

I'm sorry you are going through this, accept responsibility and say you are sorry and do better tomorrow.:hug:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

You must do your own head-to-toe assessments. You learned a valuable lesson. I know how it can be gut-wrenching to feel that you've failed your patient somehow and to wonder, "What's going to happen to me?"

I'm sorry you are going through this, accept responsibility and say you are sorry and do better tomorrow.:hug:

Well said.

Also, while it's true that "I was too busy" won't hold up in court, it's sometimes the truth of the matter, and no one but nurses really give a **** about that. WE know that it endangers our patients; WE know that it's unreasonable, but money rules, and nurses take the brunt of it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Everyone else pretty much said it.

I'm wondering though, if you had back-to-back admissions the whole shift, where was your charge nurse in all of this? Were your coworkers getting slammed with admits, too? If a nurse is transferring a lot of patients (or discharging them) and in turn getting a bunch of admissions, that nurse should pick up a patient or two from another nurse that way the admissions will be equal, and one person isn't getting stuck with all of them. We do this where I work to make it fair. Same goes for if someone gets called in. A couple of nurses will give up their patients that way a nurse won't get an admission back-to-back.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment