A sobering story-------

Published

There but for the mercy of God (or fate, luck, higher power, whatever) go I .......... Or you-----Or you----or even you

Rest in peace Nurse Kim Hiatt

Remembering Kim Hiatt: Casualty of Second Victim Syndrome

Let's not kid ourselves! The best thing you can do to protect yourself is get along well with others, network and do a good job. If you are well liked you will be more likely not to be fired or laid off!

It's also been shown that being well liked by the patients and family makes it less likely that you will be sued, even if you have made a mistake.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

In nursing school some of my classmates complained about having to pass the medication calculation exam with 100%. I asked them what percentage of the time would be acceptable if a nurse was giving a Med to their child or parent. This is why we are careful and double check with a friend if there is any doubt. The personal guilt from a mistake can be horrendous.

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Very good point!

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I think you would expect most mistakes to be in increments of ten when it was an error with drawing up a med. It only takes one decimal put in the wrong spot or picking up a syringe placed in the wrong bin. I just want to point out 10 times doesn't mean extreme negligence. I also don't know what calcium is dispensed in, but it seems to me a pediatric unit should probably have vials with smaller amounts to prevent these types of errors. Just a thought!

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Specializes in Psych.

A sincere error is made without intention or knowledge of wrongdoing and that means that a person has done something wrong without knowledge or malice. All people make errors. I once worked with a nurse who claimed she had never made a medication error. How could she ever know if it was an honest error?

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