Learning by mistakes

[nursemich]

Hi Id like to invite expert nurses, also newbies to share your experience when you are in your first year of beginning period. They say that we learn through mistakes, but as a newbie I dont want to experience too many mistakes just to get hold of the right one. I've experienced making some, like failure to chart something or not to put bard in alarm during the night so as not to wake the patient. Can you please share what you have learned by your mistakes and how to prevent them..

[tcvnurse, BSN, RN]

Always double check the roller clamp on an IVPB before you leave the room. I was famous for getting to the doorway and having the pump alarm go off. :)

Other stuff, like missing a med on a patient--the only way to prevent that is recheck your MAR. My hospital has an EMR that gives you a big red OVERDUE MED warning, so it's hard to miss, but back in the Dark Ages of nursing with handwritten MARs, it was a lot easier to screw up .