Mistakes... Feel like there is no coming back from it

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi AN, I am 6/7 months into my first year as a nurse on a medsurge unit and just when I thought I was getting the hang of it.. I had a really crazy day and made my a first big mistake. I had a patient who was thought to have an infected picc line. I was instructed to remove it and have the tip cultured. Right after removing the picc I accidentally impulsively tossed it in the trash. Needless to say it couldn't be cultured anymore. Somehow the doctor was not even that mad (though def not pleased) when I told him. but my manager said she would have to file an official incident report. Then a whole bunch of other stuff starting happening. A few days later a patient compalined to my manager that I always seemed like I was in a rush and didn't really care. We are really short on nursing assistants so nurses are expected to do everything (bathing, toileting, feeding) that normally the assistant would do, so I know that patient had a legit reason to say that I really was rushed all the time - I was. My manager is very tough and I know she is mad about these incidents. she even yelled at another first year grad for calling a rapid response that wound up not being a true emergency. Since this is my first job I wanted to stay for a few years but I don't know if I can even last. I know the first year is tough for everyone my nerves are fried and I am losing the motivation to keep trying :cry: I know you can come back from a bad day but its been a bad couple weeks now. How do you all cope with this stuff?

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. Just learn from it and move on. As far as losing your motivation to go on . . . get over it. Not as easily done as said, and I understand that. But unless you want to spend your career hopping from job to job, you're going to have to learn to get through the rough patches. That same advice works for LIFE as well as for a career.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Hospice Care.
Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. Just learn from it and move on. As far as losing your motivation to go on . . . get over it. Not as easily done as said, and I understand that. But unless you want to spend your career hopping from job to job, you're going to have to learn to get through the rough patches. That same advice works for LIFE as well as for a career.

That is some of the best advice I have heard here on AN, so very true....

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Thanks to everyone who offered advice! This surely isn't an easy profession to break into. ultimately I know I am not going to quit this quickly although everyday I walk out thinking I can never come back lol. It just gets frustrating and I don't talk about it at work, everyone there thinks I am perfectly happy with my job. I don't want it to seem like I am complaining too much bc I know its pretty much the same everywhere anyways. I do plan on staying a while (as long as I can last, manager has fired 8 people in the past month)

mariebailey: good question, they had already done blood cultures which I am guessing is why the doc wasn't too mad but they wanted the catheter too.

rubyvee: thanks I always like hearing from those who have made it through the tough beginning. I must have come off sounding very young but, I actually worked for a few years in a non-medical field before going to nursing school. So I have been around the block and trust me I do get that nothing comes easy!

sorry if I sounded whiny, just like you shouldn't go to the grocery store hungry I think I shouldn't post on this site when I'm tired and cranky ;)

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

We are always so hard on ourselves over our mistakes and they seem like the end of the world... I think as nurse's it's because so much depends on us being perfect, and so many expect us to be perfect, that when we prove we are only human, it seems like it's the end of the world.

Patient complained because you seemed rushed and you didn't have time for them? Um... well probably because you ARE short staffed and were rushed and didn't have a lot of time. That is managements fault and not yours.

You can not please all of the people all of the time, but please take some time to take care of yourself and do something pampering on your days off... it may help with the stress of going back in everyday with that sinking feeling in your gut.

You can do this, you will be great, and the fact that your mistakes do bother you, means that you do care.

You will not escape your nursing career without a write up, incident report, or an error.

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