I have been an RN since May of this year, and work on a general surgical unit. Last night, I had 8 pts, and was working with an LPN who had 8 as well, so had to cover all her IVP meds and other parts of her charting. We had 1 CNA. At the very end of my shift, I gave 50 of lantus insulin to a patient without looking at the MAR BuT verifying the amount with my supervisor because I was way behind on EVERYTHING and was used to giving her insulin in the am. I realilzed it about 10 min later when going back to chart on the MAR. The BS was 112, and I immediately told the supervisor and called the dr. He didn't seem concerned, just said to monitor her BS and give her D50 if less than 70. It was end of shift so I had to pass the pt on to day nurse and I felt AWFuL!!! I cried, and everyone was so supportive, telling me she'd be just fine, and she'd be closely monitored and treated if she wasn't. She was a knee replacement, and was due to go home today. I didn't get to eat anything all shift, and its now 830am and feel nauseated from my stupid mistake! This is my first EVER med error. How do I get over it? And how do I get myself to go back to work tonight??? I just want to quit and run away! I know I SHOuLD feel awful, and I KNOW I'll learn from this, but I'm feeling very alone through it all. HELP!!!
I have been an RN since May of this year, and work on a general surgical unit. Last night, I had 8 pts, and was working with an LPN who had 8 as well, so had to cover all her IVP meds and other parts of her charting. We had 1 CNA. At the very end of my shift, I gave 50 of lantus insulin to a patient without looking at the MAR BuT verifying the amount with my supervisor because I was way behind on EVERYTHING and was used to giving her insulin in the am. I realilzed it about 10 min later when going back to chart on the MAR. The BS was 112, and I immediately told the supervisor and called the dr. He didn't seem concerned, just said to monitor her BS and give her D50 if less than 70. It was end of shift so I had to pass the pt on to day nurse and I felt AWFuL!!! I cried, and everyone was so supportive, telling me she'd be just fine, and she'd be closely monitored and treated if she wasn't. She was a knee replacement, and was due to go home today. I didn't get to eat anything all shift, and its now 830am and feel nauseated from my stupid mistake! This is my first EVER med error. How do I get over it? And how do I get myself to go back to work tonight??? I just want to quit and run away! I know I SHOuLD feel awful, and I KNOW I'll learn from this, but I'm feeling very alone through it all. HELP!!!
Dear friend,
Your reaction is normal for you are obviously a very responsible and professional nurse who committed her first mistake. It is a fact of life: we all commit mistakes. However, the way you conducted yourself says a lot about you and your commitment to do what is right by your patients. Your emotional state is important for after all you have to go back to work, and in order to be focused on your responsibilities it is important that you be free of your emotions in connection with this accident for your patients need that you be for them feeling emotionally whole. I want to give you the website of Aila Accad, RN which I took from one of the threads I read in this website. I want to share the technique your fellow nurse uses for helping people releasing distracting and unwanted emotions. Her training in this clip is free and very useful. I wish you a long and successful career in nursing. Mistakes keep us humble, but God only keeps us going.
I'm re-reading this and trying to figure out what was wrong here- was it the dose? Was it to be adjusted if below a certain number?
Please, go easy on yourself. We all remember a med error or two in our careers. My big one was Decadron- always ordered at 6-2-10. Only this patient started his at 6 PM, not 6 AM, so it was due at 2 AM. I did not give it until 6 AM. I was on nights and got the 6-2-10 thing mixed up! Not a huge deal physically, they changed the schedule of his meds and went forward, but I was a new nurse and I was devastated! This was in the day where you had 1/2 hr before and 1/2 hr after to give the med, now it is usually an hour. So a 4 hour error was a BIG error.
Another time on nights I mixed all my IV's- we mixed our own then, and I had about 36 to hang that night. I passed the meds and made rounds a little later and I looked at the patient's IV label and it did not match his name on the wall! I stood there trembling for a second, terrified- thinking "what have I done? my God, what have I done?". Then I shut off the bag, checked the MAR, and Thank GOD, he was ordered the exact same med. Back then everyone was on Kelfex so I had mixed up the two Keflex patients. I learned why they tell you to check and check again, even when patients are talking to you as you make rounds. Never let anything distract you from that check. It was a real wake up call for me and I was much more careful to match the label with the armband every time.
We all make mistakes, don't beat yourself up about it. However I must say, if you are busy and don't verify a med with the MAR, that med should never be an insulin. Insulin is prone to making errors and can end up killing patients. In time you will recognize these drugs such as insulin, KCl, digoxin. One must come out of autopilot then review the 5 rigths and get a proper double check. Mistakes make us better nurses which is a positive that comes from that.
Specializes in General Surgical, Ortho, Cardiac ICU.
The error came in that I gave the lantus the evening before at hs as ordered, then gave it AGAIN in the am, even though it was ordered qhs. So the pt got 2 doses of lantus in 12 hours. I didn't have to cover her with regular due to her BS.
If you feel like you want to run away you should. Well not like away away, but like go for a jog around the block and just keep circling till you feel your ready to stop running. I mean you know your body better then anyone else and if its telling you to run then run, bet you would feel alot better after and alot less stressed out. Just make sure that if you dont jog around the block and instead just keep going that you dont go too far or you wont have the strength to make it back x.x... and from experience its not a fun thing having to go all the way back.
Lord save me from the nurse who never makes a mistake. If a nurse has never made a mistake, I don't want them taking care of me. We learn from our mistakes. The worst one I ever made was on my own child. He was in the hospital. I was charge of the pediatric unit, usually even the only nurse there. My teenage daughter was sitting with my 4 yr old in the hosp so I could keep working (worthless husband would not work....long story). I was so busy that nite, wasn't paying attention, gave the child an adult dose of an IV med. As soon as I walked out of his room, I realized what I'd done. Called the doctor, just almost hysterical. She assured me he'd be fine. He was, but it scared me so bad.
My mother is a retired nurse. One time she gave blood to the wrong patient. Two patients with the exact name in adjacent rooms. The guy who got the blood felt much better!
Please don't be too hard on yourself. We've all made mistakes. Just thank your lucky stars that you aren't "perfect".
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
everyone makes mistakes, and any nurse who says he/she has never made a med error either hasn't made one yet, is lying about it, or is too stupid to realize they've made a med error.
given that everyone makes mistakes, the best you can do is work really hard not to repeat that particular mistake. i'm sure that you'll do that, judging from your post here. that isn't to say that you aren't going to make some other doozies of med errors over the course of your career. just remember: the bigger the error, the better the story you can tell some other newbie who makes her first med error a few years down the road. (how do you think i get such great stories?)
the absolute best thing you do when you make a med error is to recognize it as soon as possible, admit it the moment you recognize it, and immediately set about to mitigate the damage. you've done that. you didn't lie or attempt to cover it up. that means you have integrity, and i'd let you take care of me or my mother any time.
congratulations -- you've passed a milestone. not a very fun one, but a milestone all the same. please take the time to reassure the next newbie you meet who has just made a med error that everyone makes mistakes, they won't make the same one again, and that recognition and mitigation are signs of integrity.
feliz3
382 Posts
Dear friend,
Your reaction is normal for you are obviously a very responsible and professional nurse who committed her first mistake. It is a fact of life: we all commit mistakes. However, the way you conducted yourself says a lot about you and your commitment to do what is right by your patients. Your emotional state is important for after all you have to go back to work, and in order to be focused on your responsibilities it is important that you be free of your emotions in connection with this accident for your patients need that you be for them feeling emotionally whole. I want to give you the website of Aila Accad, RN which I took from one of the threads I read in this website. I want to share the technique your fellow nurse uses for helping people releasing distracting and unwanted emotions. Her training in this clip is free and very useful. I wish you a long and successful career in nursing. Mistakes keep us humble, but God only keeps us going.
Best, feliz3