Accountability Question for Transistions Exam

[RNFinally12]

Hi,

Just wondering who would be accountable for a student mistake. The student, the nurse or both the nurse and the student? My thought is both.

Thank you.

:confused::confused:

[PiedPiperRN]

You are right, the answer is both. The instructor holds a little more "weight" as s/he can be held accountable to the standards of her license, as well as being the trained professional. The student RN, on the other hand, is expected to make mistakes and so there is little more wiggle room in what s/he can be held accontable for.

For example, if a student draws up 50U of insulin when only 10U are ordered, shows it to her professor, and then administers the dose, the professor and the student are acccountable-- but the burdan will fall on the instuctor for not seeing the mistake.

Had the student not shown the dose to the instructor and just gave the med, then the burdan would be on the student with the instructor having to explain why the student wasn't being watched more carefully in the first place!

Note: I am not an instructor, I am a student, but this was how it was explained to me. For the purposes of the exam it is both. Most schools have a student handbook that explains what the student is responsible for and what the teacher is responsible for.