I failed my patient today- Student Nurse

[Maria3248]

I failed my patient today. Today was my first day back on the floor after the summer. I was caring for a severely developmentally delayed patient with an old g-tube site that was having difficulty healing. We were to provide wound care, of course. The nurse I was assigned to told myself and my instructor that we were putting nystatin and a barrier cream. Neither of us verified this order, or scanned the nystatin which would have informed us that the order had lapsed. The order had lapsed three days ago, yet this was continued. I failed to speak up and advocate for my patient. Yes, all three of us did not follow protocol but ultimately I feel responsible. After my instructor and I realized our error, we immediately spoke with the floor nurse who then had the team renew the order. I am just questioning now if maybe I shouldn't be a nurse. Verifying orders prior to performing any patient care is such a critical part of this job. I know better, yet I didn't speak up.

I just feel like I am not as good as other classmates. I definitely lack the confidence my classmates seem to have. I have failed classes due to anxiety (I was 19-20, I am 24 now and in my last year). Maybe I should have taken these failures as a sign I was not meant to do this. I ignored basic protocol. Anxiety has truly ruined so many things for me. Unfortunately I am also the type of person who will not ask for help. This time, it was just nystatin. Next time it might be something else, and that is what makes me afraid the most. I am afraid that anxiety will be the reason I fail to act or speak up. I don't hear about anyone else making these kind of mistakes and it just seems like I am the only one.

My instructors write things like "exceeds expectation", "....expresses significant knowledge and understanding of patient care....", "professional communication and safe patient care..."

So why do I feel like I never do enough, or know enough, or make the most correct choice. I constantly feel like I should just be BETTER than what I currently am and it just is really hard. The stress I am putting on myself I feel like is causing me to be more distracted and will likely create a compounded effect leading to future errors in my opinion.

If anyone has any advice, similar experiences, or feelings I would love if you could share your ideas with me on how best to move forward.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to general students forum

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

You're a student, "better" is really subjective and still way below what an experienced nurse is going to be. Relax, mistakes happen.

[Queen Tiye, RN]

I’m sorry that you are having a difficult time; nursing school and clinical scan be so stressful. Perhaps you may benefit from getting help on learning how to cope with anxiety and feelings of low self-esteem. Colleges usually have licensed counselors or psychologists that are available to students at no extra cost. Feelings of low self-worth combined with the stress of nursing school can be exhausting. You deserve support?.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

If a Nystatin med error that was then validated by physician renewal is the worst you ever do, you will be an excellent nurse.

This is on your instructor and the floor nurse far more than you. Good for you for recognizing it was an error. Chin up and onward. You did no harm and you learned from it. It won't be the last time you make an error.

[sunshine205]

Owning up to your own responsibilities and errors already is a step forward which makes up for it. There are many mistakes made as a student, that's just the process of learning and by the sounds of it, it sounds like you're learning WELL. Don't compare yourself to others, they're struggling too. Nursing isn't meant to be easy and if it was, everyone would be doing it. Remember: If you've never failed in something, you've never tried anything new. As a student you're still very new to profession and it's expected to make mistakes!

You're going to be such a fantastic nurse one day. Please don't let this tiny mistake make you think otherwise.

[jalilly]

Hi there,

To be honest, this was hardly an error. Nystatin is a topical fungal cream that is harmless. It's a tiny, tiny mistake that you did not verify the order beforehand. You are a student and it's ultimately the nurse's and the instructor's responsibility to make sure you are doing things correctly.

You did absolutely nothing to harm the patient and you corrected the mistake efficiently. I can tell that you care a lot about your patients and that shows! Don't be so hard on yourself. Mistakes like this happen. Be alert and cautious always but remember you are human. If your anxiety is affecting you in clinical and in school, reach out to your primary care provider and find a therapist. You are enough and you can be a great nurse if you believe in yourself! Best of luck.

[Nurse.Kelsey, BSN, RN]

Wow. It was a mistake. Med errors happen. You wont ever forget it and for that it will make you better.

[Serhilda, ADN, RN]

This was quite a melodramatic post due to nystatin cream. I mean, you're freaking out over antifungal powder... We're all more careful with medications that actually hold potential for harm, such as levophed, IV amiodarone, even blood transfusions. What next, will you obsess over Boudreau's butt paste? You have to learn to shrug things off. You didn't need to advocate for your patient to not receive some powder because it just doesn't matter. Good lord.

[ICUMurse97, BSN, RN]

Although the error made was minimal, it is good to be cautious because it forces you to always check yourself to avoid errors in the future. Every mistake made in the workplace is an opportunity for you to learn from so that you can provide the best care for your patients in the future. It can be very intimidating and daunting as a student to speak up, but you will continue to build your confidence as you progress further into your career as a nurse.

[Jkloo]

Sounds like you're doing great. And I do not mean that sarcastically. Don't beat yourself up over this.

[KarenMS]

Hopefully once you’ve developed your nursing judgment a little more, you won’t melt down over something like a lapsed nystatin order. It’s sort of over the top to consider this failing your patient, and having that level of anxiety isn’t great for your decision making/patients either.