how not to be an idiot in the ward

[GE90]

So i'm a new grad in a general ward, i've been out for 4 months now.

Recently i started to feel like i'm not attentive enough and keep making

mistakes, like forgetting to ask the doctor to rechart the med chart ; Asked for a clarification on the dose of a medication but forgot to cross my name out so people thought i gave the wrong dose which leads to an incident report ; Almost used the dressing that the pt was allergic to (pt's been on that type of dressing for a couple of days, when I took over i assumed it must be safe to use but my new grad colleague discovered that it contains the ingredient which the pt is allergic to), sometimes forgot to mention something during handover (eg, pt will have a mri next week /

Sometimes i also feel like a total idiot, for example there was a pt with meningitis, when the doctors arrived for their round they asked me how the pt went, to which i answered all her obs are fine, afebrile, plenty of fluid and food, voided, bo blah blah blah blah but forgot to mention anything about her stiffed neck which was stated by the doctor after their physical exam ; A mother told me her baby's belly button popped out and i didn't know, thought it was kinda serious and grabbed my colleague for assistance which turned out wasn't really concerning ; A pt's arm got swollen because of the ivc, doctors thought it could be an infection and started him on ivab, however no improvement over two days, I thought if it was an infection it would take time to heal so it's not uncommon for it to be swollen for a couple of days where my fellow new grad colleague suggested a uss might be necessary and turns out she is right ; Look after a baby who was not taking his bottle particularly well, handed that over to the next shift, returned the next morning and found out he had a NGT inserted overnight ; A pt was on highflow o2 2L/min overnight, I weaned the o2 off completely at the beginning of my morning shift, later on doctors decided to put her back on 0.25L of o2 via NP because she still got some WOB.

And another big issue I've been having is that I'm not sure if my practice is safe enough. Sometimes my patients who were originally fined and healthy would deteroiate, i always thought i did something wrong or didn't catch the warning signs earlier enough. When I look after pts with conditions that I'm not familiar with I always find myself a bit stressed.

Now i am so nervous and stressed about coming to work...feel like the manager made a big mistake of hiring me..

[Kitiger, RN]

A pt's arm got swollen because of the ivc, doctors thought it could be an infection and started him on ivab, however no improvement over two days, I thought if it was an infection it would take time to heal so it's not uncommon for it to be swollen for a couple of days where my fellow new grad colleague suggested a uss might be necessary and turns out she is right

A pt was on highflow o2 2L/min overnight, I weaned the o2 off completely at the beginning of my morning shift, later on doctors decided to put her back on 0.25L of o2 via NP because she still got some WOB.

..

What is "ivc"? Does "ivab" mean IV antibiotic? And I have no idea what you mean by "uss".

What is "o2 via NP"? And what is "WOB"? Do you mean SOB as in Short of Breath?

[GE90]

sorry, oz terms.

ivc = iv cannula

ivab = iv antibiotic

uss = ultrasound

o2 via np = oxygen via nasal prongs

WOB = work of breathing

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

What is "ivc"? Does "ivab" mean IV antibiotic? And I have no idea what you mean by "uss".

What is "o2 via NP"? And what is "WOB"? Do you mean SOB as in Short of Breath?

I think she's overseas

IVC--intravenous cannula?

USS--ultra sound scan? Was there a foreign body or blockage?

O2 via NP oxygen via nasal prongs (cannula). 5LPM often >8. 2 LPM is not high flow***>

WOB== work of breathing. Often an observation including accessory muscle use. SOB is subjective