I made a med error

[Curlup]

I have been a RN for a little over 2 years.I was working on an inpt. Rehab unit for 15months when the Hospital i worked for had a Layoff. Ihave been laid off for 4months when I was called in to work a midnight shift. At the end of my shift I was in a hurry to leave and I made a serious med error. MY patient was to have 26 units of lantus insulin form an insulin pen and I was in a hurry and grabbed the Novolog flexpen instead. Idid have another RN double check the order and dosage on the e-mar but i must have had my hand over the name and we both did not check the name of the med. I have given this med many times and have always done my checks and had it confirmed by another Rn with no problems. I have no excuse for this.I had to call the MD and nursing supervisor and report the error. appoligise to the PT. and his spouse fill out incident reports. Md gave new orders which we implimented. the pt. was very angry but was had no adverse reactions and was evetually able to go home. How do I get over this? I am supposed to work today for another nurse and I am sick about going and have lost all confidence in my nursing abilities.

[4theBetterGetter, RN]

We all make errors...learn from it and carry on!

[student076]

The fact that you are sick about going back to work and feel so badly about this error shows that you really care. PLEASE try to get back to work and move past this. Loads of nurses make mistakes, accidents even happen. It is so fortunate that there were no adverse reactions. Also, you learned so much from this experience. Please know that this could (and does) happen to even the best of nurses. You followed all the steps after the error and you are even seeking support. Congratulations on surviving this most stressful event. Try to go back to work with a positive attitude - and remember to breathe.

Remember, everybody makes mistakes.

[lovehospital]

Well I'm nursing student and although I never made med error I gave the opioid mixed with acetaminophen to my patient who was in a lot of pain with out telling my instructor.She had an order for it(PRN) and I notified and checked with the nurse and she told to give it.Yet I forgot to mention to my instructor and I got reprimended for not being responsible and breaking the rules.But I simply forgot because I was really busy at that time.

[ECKPowers]

The very fact that we have words like " error " or " mistake " shows that noone is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes in all careers. Learn from it and go on. :)

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

My guess is that you were in a hurry because you had a million things to do when you were only resourced to do half of them and you were tired. If this is the case, those in charge of staffing and resources share some responsibility. Stats show that med errors are more likely to occur at the end of the shift. Long shifts, understaffing, sicker patients, maybe no break all make for a recipe for medical errors. Yes, you are responsible but again if this is the case, make sure that those in charge of resources share in that by mentioning it to your unit director. Now let yourself rest over this. No one got hurt and you did the right thing.

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

Hi. That is a pretty big mistake. But the fact that you came clean and did not try to cover it up speaks highly of you. I doubt that you will ever neglect to check the name of the medication again.

[Baby Catcher, CNM]

We have all made mistakes in our careers. The only thing you can do is own up to it (which you did), learn from it, and move on. Mistakes don't make you a bad nurse. Trying to cover them up does. You did the right thing.

[BroadwayRN, ASN, RN]

MY patient was to have 26 units of lantus insulin form an insulin pen and I was in a hurry and grabbed the Novolog flexpen instead. Idid have another RN double check the order and dosage on the e-mar but i must have had my hand over the name and we both did not check the name of the med.

We all make mistakes, don't beat yourself up over it. You learned a valuable lesson that could next time save you from a more serious situation. Everything worked out and try to look at this as a blessing in disquise. God looks out for us.

[NursePaula]

yes, you made a med error, but more importantly...you realized you made a med error. i always think about the errors that i am sure we all make, but do not know that we made them. by realizing the error, and most importantly owing up to it, you protected your patient. it is not easy to admit that an error was made and that is what makes you a great nurse!! learn, and move on. i would let you be my nurse any day!!:redbeathe

paula

[Scrubby]

It's obvious that you care about your patient wellbeing. Don't beat yourself up over this anymore, learn from your mistake. I once gave a dose of novarapid instead of actrapid and yes checked with another RN and everything. Sometimes when your busy and your thinking about too many things at once you just forget the most simplest of things.

Well I'm nursing student and although I never made med error I gave the opioid mixed with acetaminophen to my patient who was in a lot of pain with out telling my instructor.She had an order for it(PRN) and I notified and checked with the nurse and she told to give it.Yet I forgot to mention to my instructor and I got reprimended for not being responsible and breaking the rules.But I simply forgot because I was really busy at that time.

Are nursing students allowed to give opioids to patients without being supervised? Was an RN present when you gave it? Sorry don't want to sound like I'm having a go at you but in Australia a student nurse isn't allowed to administer ANY drug without being directly supervised and an opioid has to be given by an RN only with another nurse (can be an EN) present to make sure that the drug is being given to the patient and that the nurse isn't secretly keeping it for themselves.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

Your human, you made an error, it will be a long time before you make another. It is miserable when the patient makes you feel worse. You did the right thing owning up to it. Don't be too hard on yourself.