So I'm in my second semester of clinical and its been going really well. I really like my instructor, she is very strict but very prepared. The hosptial is nice too. Can't complain.
Well my professor has been trying for weeks to get a username and password to gain computer access to patient info and she finally got it. Great for us because we can finally look up updated info on our patients.
Well yesterday I was looking up labs for my patient and my friend was doing the same thing next to me for his patient. He stands up to leave but didn't close the computer, so I reminded him to do that before he left.
Then a patient's family member comes to the nurse's station asking for a bed pan asap because his mother "really needs to go NOW". i know this pt--she has *explosive diarrhea*. i asked him if the CNA was there but she wasn't, so i quickly went over to help. well when i got there, sure enough, and she was putting her hands in it(she was confused). BTW this is on a crazy telemetry floor, lol.
So the CNA comes and we get her cleaned up. I felt very productive yesterday, very accomplished for being of any help! buuuut as I make my way over to the nurses station, my prof is sitting at my chair, GLARING at me. I'm like "OH &^@(*%&)(#@%&!!!!!!"
i left the computer open! =/
sooo she starts: " You left my computer open!!! It's under my name! You just broke confidentiality! This the perfect way to go to jail, how dare you--" etc etc. Well she said a lot more, including "I can't trust you"(That hurt the most.)
So I apologized perfusely and went back to my pt's room. Pt was asleep so I was able to catch a "breather" and collect myself. I wasn't gunna cry. So I walk out and my professor is coming towards me. She signals me to get closer to her. She says again, "What's wrong with you, I didn't expect this from you, I am so disappointed, how would you like if I left your information open like that? You are all over the place, you do things too fast, maybe that is why you lost your ipod, you just leaves things, you can't be like that and be a nurse, if you do that one more time I am going to write you up!"
Well needless to say, I had to go into the bathroom and weep a little. i felt sooo stupid. i was so angry at myself. she had every right to be upset at me but i felt terrible. i have a pretty lousy attention span but i try really hard to avoid things like this.
i felt so discouraged yesterday. i really don't want to make any more mistakes, even little ones because i am so scared that she already considers me irresponsible. i took it very seriously and i would never try to harm anyone. on the contrary, two families complemented me yesterday and one even told me i was going to be a great nurse.... i just hope i don't mess up again or i'm fried...
Yes to everything that has already been said, however.....
I suspect your instructor needs to get some of her prescriptions refilled. Her approach was really unprofessional. There was no reason for her to lose control.
And the violation was hers. She cannot possibly be authorized to share HER login credentials.
Just consider it a lesson learned and don't be too hard on yourself. I see this sort of thing all the time at work. If I have to get somewhere fast and there is no time to log off properly I just turn the computer monitor off... The screen goes black so no info is exposed but this won't protect you from someone else using your login while you are away. So you still have to be careful.
This happened to me at my new job as a PCT. I left my charting unattended to quickly deal with a patient. But I quickly remembered I had left the computer on. I'm not gonna school on what to do because you already know- lock your charting or just close it out completely. My preceptor would just tell me to make sure I was paying attention. The hospital is very fast paced so it's easy to get lost(heck, I misplace my paperwork all the time), still just focus on doing one thing at a time. Don't let anyone rush you. The more you do things, the better you become and the faster you become naturally without feeling rushed.
I got reprimanded on something else today but it was a one on one talk. Being that I'm new, they understand but still I want to do better. Nothing was told to management. I despise being talked down to regardless of who you are to me.
I feel that we learn from these "embarassments", because it keeps us from ever doing them again. Best wishes!
OP, don't beat yourself up. Take it as a lesson learned and don't do it again. :) I wish your instruction had have asked you why you left the computer up 1st instead of just jumping all over you. But maybe that was her way of stressing the point. From what you posted, you did a good thing in help the patient. I can't tell you how many times we have sent a pt to hospital and they come back with red irritated skin. It is the little things that you do for a pt that can mean so much. You gained trust and confidence from the family members, by quickly assisting their mother. However, do let families/ppl distract you to where you don't complete task at hand, unless it is an emerency. Good luck 2 you...."this too shall pass".
Your instructor sounds like a toolbag. There are several other ways to impress upon you the importance of the potential breach of privacy you could have caused. I've seen physicians, pharm staff and RNs all forget to exit out of charting programs before leaving their work station... That doesn't make it okay, but it's a big fat reminder that we're all human at the end of the day. So your instructor needs to get a grip- yea what you did was def not good but to say the things she said is ridiculous and inflammatory. Ahe coukd have saif you messed up, it could have been catastrophically bad, but it wasn't, so never let it happen again and move on. Unless you are a total moron (which I'm sure you aren't), that should do the trick. Chin up, you'll be fine! And I bet you'll never leave a work station open again. ;-)
on eagles wings, ASN, RN
1 Article; 1,035 Posts
i know that, that is why i apologized profusely. i would hate for her to get in trouble because of me.