Do you write up med errors?

In my opinion though, a PRUDENT nurse would question not giving potassium to someone with a potassium of 2.8. I would have called the MD and got the route switched to IV. Seems like she was being lazy.

But we don't know that she was lazy. It SEEMS as if she was lazy.

Anyway. I simply would have asked.

I didnt speak with her prior to writing up the error because she was off the day the error was brought to my attention.

BTW, I oriented this nurse on her last day of orientation as a new LPN. She ended up flipping out over something and ended up leaving the unit (including clocking out) and went home... without letting me know or charge nurse know. I helped save her ass from being canned because the patient she had issues with was instigating and had probably psych d/s.

NurseyPoo, I don't think that you were wrong to write it up.

I would have talked with her first. I would have talked to the nurse that wrote the order and did not clarify it with MD, would have talked with MD. If this is a pattern with this nurse, maybe I would write it up. I dislike writing up fellow nurses, have not done it yet, have written myself up. Other professions do not "write each other up" MD's don't, attorneys don't, I am uncomfortable with management/corporate types having an excuse to go after nursing. In some ways, writing each other up continues the "fear and loathing" in nursing, another way to keep us quiet and well behaved robots. That being said, if pt safety is seriously compromised, there should be a non-punitive measure in place for educational purposes, not blame purposes.