help me stop making med errors!

As a student med errors scare me. it really bothers me that physician handwriting is so difficult to understand, etc. I am very nervous !

I'd like some advice from other nurses reading this thread, what types (specific) of nursing positions would be best for someone with a disability like ADD?

I do not think that the fact you have someone bullying you at work (and that is what it is) that should be allowed to go on. I suggest that you speak to the person and suggest that you and her speak to the supervisor together and also tell her (in a nice way) that the way she is behaving is adding to your stress levels and the cause of some of the mistakes you are making. I am sure she would not like to be told that she is causing some of these problems and that in the long run you are responsible to your supervisor. Making mistakes is not good and you could look at some ways, with which you feel comfortable, to reduce these and as someone else suggested the fact that you are looking at some improvements will stand you in good stead. I always find that if I have a problem I tend to stand back and think of ways of improving the outcomes. Good Luck and don't let anyone tell you that you are not worth the effort to try and improve. Ask your supervisor for some suggestions and try to work together without being in your face at all times as I am sure this does not help the situtation.

I hope you figure out the problem soon, because med charting errors left me with a suspended nursing license, had to go to a facility for a 5 day eval to see if I was taking drugs, three months later and no job, finally cleared of drug use, but on probation for 3 years, and a ton of fines and restrictions on my license!! Not to scare you but try hard to better yourself!! This is one HARD lesson to learn.

Good Luck, Lisa

Bulkymonster,

I was diagnosed with ADHD over 5 years ago. I tried meds for awhile and then couldn't tolerate the side effects. Sometimes I wished I had. I have moments where I get so flustered. I've learned my limits. When you feel flustered, stop, take a breath and reassess what you're doing. Sometimes, if I have a lot going on, I have to sit down and write a list of things that I need to do. Don't try to do extra things to help people...until you are 100% you're finished with what you're doing. And I mean 100%.

I haven't had to mention to the team leaders or nurse manager about my ADHD yet, because it has never become a problem for me...or so I think anyway. When I was being precepted because I was asking a lot of questions over and over and I think my preceptor was loosing his patience with me.

Lately as the stress has been getting worse, I've noticed that I've been reacting more impulsively than usual. And altho I've been fair and usually in the right for feeling the way I was (because a team leader was being inappropriate), I shouldn't have been so short wicked. I know it's the ADHD, they don't.

ADHD can be used to your advantage too. Once you learn your limits, you can fly through hoops with the abundance of energy that you have. Might I recommend, stay away from caffeine. Not only does it make the ADHD worse sometimes, but it can send us into super duper hyper mode.

I don't know about you, but I can spot when something is not right immediately. Especially when looking at orders and doing chart checks.

All I can say it, we have to pay extra attention (funny, right? Pay attention)...anyway, we have to pay extra attention to ourselves and what we're doing. S-L-O-W down.

Good luck. Hope that helps.

Oh and....consider yourself lucky....you have ADHD, not ADHD and PMS...Those two are killer together!

When i first got out of nursing school, I was in the same situation. Couldn't get it together, and all the eyes upon me thing just made things worse... I got to the point that i absolutly HATED my job, and was so stressed out because of... I ended up leaving, trying something different, then altogether taking a break...No job, no school, no nursing PERIOD... Was just a little while, and yes, I was poor for that time, but came back foused and ready. I pulled it together, and actually became quite admired and respected in my old area, but in a NEW location. Was the very best decesion for me professionally.

I don't have a lot of patience for all of the people who seem to feel sorry for you and are getting attitudes toward the supervisor who is taking a proactive roll in trying to help you overcome your lackadaisical outlook on medication administration. The fact that you haven't been formally written up is concerning to me.

It is pretty easy to administer medications properly:

1. read the order.

2. obtain the correct medication.

3. verify the correct med by comparing it to the order.

4. verify the time due.

5. verify the route.

6. verify the dose.

7. verify the patient.

8. verify the med again at bedside.

9. give the med.

Quit making excuses and pay attention

Hi,

You do have a problem. The one thing I might suggest is to have someone around that can check you out BEFORE you give a med.

The other thing that strikes me is that you are in the military. If the nurse that is bugging you so seems to be doing it in violation of of a direct order by her superior and charges can be brought. Unless the superior has not told her to lay off.

My other thought is that maybe you should look for a different avenue of nursing, and avoid direct patient care.

Margie/NM

Hello,

Texas onc Nurse,

How can you allege that she is making excuses? Have you ever been diagnosis with ADH/ADD? Have you seen individuals with ADD/ADH and their performance on the job or studying or completing an everyday task? Well, it is very hard to understand and to deal with on a daily basis. It is like being on a high speed train or car without brakes. You cannot get off the train or stop the car with the brakes. Instead, you are going for a ride that you cannot stop without assistant. You have to see a medical professional or a holistic physician (certified) for a resolution to the problem. Medications are used to slow down the train or the car and finding which medication is suitable for the individual can be difficult at times. Trainning is needed to adapt and to deal with the diagnosis sometimes is overwhelming. First, thing someone can do who is diagnosis must learn acceptance about it. Second, thing is to learn how to deal with it on a everyday basis. Thirdly, to seek professional assistance and find resolutions to help the individuals with the disabilitiy. Fourthly, re-trainning is an essential tool to make it through the day as well as on the job. Fifthly, knowing your limitations as well as how to deal with the limitations on a daily basis. Lastly, if the individual refuse to participate in a structure treatment and/or re-trainning, it is their choice.

ADD/ADH is a diasability that hinder people in their lives and they need to learn that is it not their fault of having this disabliity. It is something that happen inner uterine during their development. It is not an excuse, it is real and it is not the idividual fault that has it. Therefore, it is about learning how to deal with this disability on a positive note.

As a person, who do not have the disablity, may need to do research on the disability and learn the effects it has on the individual. To understand it is not an excuse, it is a disability that can be control with different types of therapy, re-trainnning, mediations, and diet. Before, you can say ADD/ADH is an excuse. The explainations one may give to not going for the treatment maybe fear or being scare that he/she may feel inadequate of completing a task as someone without the disability can do easily. Therefore, one need to be less critical on those who have disabilities and to understand there are other methods to complete the task just as one can do it their way.

That is my two cents....

Buttons

I don't think it's realistic to expect that another nurse be available to double-check every time this nurse needs to give meds. For heaven's sake, it's hard enough to get your own work done, let alone have to partially do someone else's work, too. It's one thing when you're doing it with a new rmployee/new grad., but eventually you expect that person to function independently.

I honestly think that bedside nursing may not be the best area for this nurse. Giving meds is a deadly serious business; a nurse's disability should not be accommodated to the point that patients are endangered.

[i honestly think that bedside nursing may not be the best area for this nurse. Giving meds is a deadly serious business; a nurse's disability should not be accommodated to the point that patients are endangered.

I would like for you explain the above? Because I need clarification from you prior to me making comments.

Thank you,

Buttons

What needs to be clarified? It speaks for itself.

If a nurse cannot give meds independently because of a disability, then it does a disservice to the staff as well as the pts. Staff nurses are already stretched thin; having to double check someone else's work every time that nurse has to give meds is not a reasonable accommodation.

What if the disability causes the nurse to misread numbers? A normal accucheck could be interpreted as abnormal, and then the pt. could be given a dose of insulin that could be harmful, maybe even lethal. Misreading doses of meds? Same thing. Impulsivity can also lead to some very tragic mistakes.

I never said such nurses couldn't be in the profession, but not everyone belongs at the bedside. I think in some cases we have gone overboard in being accommodating to the point of unreasonableness.

The OP has already stated that he has made numerous med errors because of his disability. He may be a nice person and very knowledgeable about certain areas of nursing, but I wouldn't want him providing bedside care to me or someone I love. That may sound harsh, but pt. safety comes before someone's desire to be a nurse. There's no "right" to be a nurse.

I hope this clarified things for you. I've read your other posts, so I have gotten your POV on this. I happen to see things differently, and I don't wish to debate this ad infinitum.