I feel like an absolute fool!

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Specializes in Gerontology.

OK. Time to share those stories when you end up feeling like a total and complete fool.

Here is mine. I still feel like a complete and total fool.

Background: I work on a rehab unit. Part of our plan of care is for pts to go out on passes (day or overnight) on weekends, to see how they can cope.

Saturday: My pt goes out for a day pass. I do the whole sign out procedure - have a good time, etc, etc,

!6:00 - Pt comes back. (or so I think)

17:00 - I go to set pt up for supper. Can't find him . Search the unit. Search the area arount the unit. Ask other nurses = Have you seen Mr X? Nope. Can't find him.

Ok move into phase one of Code Yellow (missing pt) - have him paged to return to unit.

Nothing. Tired to call family - no answer at one number, only voice mail at second. Left a message (pls call unit, can't find father, etc etc)

About 1745 move to Phase 2- all units start searching. Security comes. On-call resouce person calls. (no supervisors). Iam struggling with the stupid @!#$% computer to get the description out (computer completly froze on me 3 times.) I am in total panic mode (unusal for me - usually I am good in emergencies) I keep picturing this man lying some where hurt, or worse. ( we once had a confused pt escape thru an open window. Fell into a ditch. would have died from exposure if a nurse on the 3rd floor hadn't been looking at the window and saw him fall).

Total panic setting in.

1750 - family wheels pt onto unit. Accompanied by security. HUGH sigh of relief. I go and talk to family - you can't take him out without telling us, etc etc. Son says - we signed him out with you. I say "But you brought him back at 4:00pm. Family says NO.

Suddenly it hits me -pt I saw coming back was a completely different pt, Mr Y - who had apparently also been out on pass. Both pts were Chinese. I was occupied with dealing with another crisis when pt came back at 16:00 - I just saw a Chinese pt come back, assumed it was my pt becase I knew I had signed him out earlier. (to my defense, this was the first time I cared for Mr X, and I had never cared for Mr Y)

I apoligize profusely. Explain what happened, acknowledged my error, etc etc

I have NEVER felt more stupid in my life.

I have tried to make a joke of it - I figure, better for me to joke about it than have other people going around saying "Guess what Pepper did".

everyone tells me - better save than sorry, you did the right thing and so forth.

But I still feel so foolish! If I had taken an extra 30 secs when the first pt came back to really look, I would have seen it was a different pt.

So- that's my foolish moment of the month. Can anyone top that and make me feel better, or should I just accept my Oscar for the Foolishest Moment now??

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I wouldn't feel too bad about this if I were you. We all felt like fools the night one of ours hit the road. When the responsible nurse called the cops she was told, "Go find him yourself!"

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Specializes in lots of different areas.

Sounds like something I would do!! I believe we get so caught up in the "rhythm" of work, we have a tendency to tune out everything else during that moment. Been there, done that (or had an oops moment!)

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I wouldn't feel too bad about this if I were you. We all felt like fools the night one of ours hit the road. When the responsible nurse called the cops she was told, "Go find him yourself!"

Can you elaborate? What happened with the cops? Who searched for the pt? Was pt ok? Etc.

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Our unit clerk in NICU is very familiar with families of our babies. After being off for a few days, she had confused the fathers of two of our babies. When the father stated that he was there to see his baby, she said you aren't the same father that has been coming to see that baby. I need the mother to confirm your iidenity. The father stormed out and refused to come back to the hospital to see the baby. What a nightmare!!! She was very careful following that incident. Thank goodness it wasn't me. Open mouth, insert foot...

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Our unit clerk in NICU is very familiar with families of our babies. After being off for a few days, she had confused the fathers of two of our babies. When the father stated that he was there to see his baby, she said you aren't the same father that has been coming to see that baby. I need the mother to confirm your iidenity. The father stormed out and refused to come back to the hospital to see the baby. What a nightmare!!! She was very careful following that incident. Thank goodness it wasn't me. Open mouth, insert foot...

I'm certain this was a serious matter, but it certainly made me laugh! :lol2:

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Specializes in LTC.

Don't feel like a fool.

I have not laughed so hard like this in a long time. Your post is exactly what I needed! Now, I don't feel so bad about the Dementia resident who made it out of the building at my last job. We never knew he was gone until a bartender from across the street called us to come pick him up. He had been drinking shots and beers!

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

i had been working on the psych unit and was just off orientation. i had spoken with all five of my patients and went off to chart. i was terrified i'd get behind or, worse yet, forget some vital fact.

it was the week of st. patrick's day and a nearby irish bar was having contests, games, green beer,

irish food, etc. after finishing my charting, i counted my patient noses and came up one short. security was notified and, after searching hospital wide, plus the grounds, guess where they finally

found him?!

yep! _____'s pub. there he was -- bellied up to the bar, in his hospital gown and footies, having downed several green beers, laughing and telling stories with the best of them.

no pants, no pockets, no wallet, but there he sat ... downing yet another green beer.

i felt like a real fool. big time.

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

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Don't be so hard on yourself! Everyone does dumb stuff...I mean everyone. The patient should be flattered you were so concerned about him and you are obviously a great nurse to care so much about your patients!

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Can you elaborate? What happened with the cops? Who searched for the pt? Was pt ok? Etc.

Cops never bothered. One of the night shift CNAs came to work late that night and reported seeing the resident on a payphone at the nearby 7-11. He went back to talk to the resident in Spanish and try to talk him into coming back. He managed to get the guy to come back but only after the man was able to talk to family to arrange for someone to come rescue him the next day, when he checked out the regular way. He had been sent from an acute care hospital to the LTC facility with no explanation (according to him) and he couldn't speak English. As far as he was concerned, he had been kidnapped.

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We also had a guy who liked to leave on a regular basis to go drinking without telling anyone. Finally one time he was told that if he did it again, he would be discharged. Apparently his doctor and his family member (sister) didn't like for him to go on his drinking escapades.

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:nurse: 1. Don't dwell on the mistakes but learn from it!

2. Chinese looks the same in an unused eyes. I have worked with asian people and i would know exactly what country in asia they are from. It happens all the time.

3. Don't panic! It's always the ones who panic injures themselves. does your MAR have their pix? somehow u will know if that is the right person u saw at 4pm.

4. Always ask the Lord for guidance esp at work and ur daily lives.

5. SERENITY PRAYER: LORD, HELP ME TO ACCEPT THE THINGS THAT I CANNOT CHANGE, COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE...

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