Im such a fool!!

[ruby_red]

Im a new RN, I just finished nursing school... Unfortunatly I made my first medication error today, this after 3 weeks of being on the job.

I (with another nurse) checked platlets to give to a patient. It was the right patient, right blood type and everything, but wrong order and none of us noticed because we were checking from the chart blood bank sent with the blood. The blood bank themselves made the error of sending us platlets instead of red blood cells.

When I found out I felt like I wa sgoing to puke! All I said was 'what happened to the patient?' Ive been crying ever since I got home which was almost 3hrs ago! I was just checking with another nurse, she should have known if it was the right order, but then again Im not one to judge or say anything...

Im scared about seeing the boss of the ward tomorrow (I dont know what to do or say!!)... Thankfully nothing happened to the patient as they were her own platlets, but today just really put me off nursing, I love helping patients and all, but I dont want to come home crying and worried every day.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

Don't be discouraged. I wish I had a nickle for every med error that people come onto this forum and talk about. I'd say the vast majority of us have made a med error at some point in our career. Take your error, learn from it. It will make you a better nurse, it will make you stronger.

[gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN]

Ruby, your a new grad with 3 weeks experience. Please relax, no harm was done. This was a mistake started by others, missed by all. The pharmacy will be in hot water for not reading the order right & sending the wrong product with the wrong order. The other nurse and your self will be spoken to about checking the orders in the chart as well as on the product.

Your 1st med error is always a terrifing experience. You question whether you made a mistake in becoming a Nurse. You become physically sick at the thought of possibly injuring a patient. Your fragile confidence in your abilities are shattered. We've all been there, any Nurse who says she never made a mistake is fibbing big time. Again, relax, take a deep breath. Use this as a learning experience, you have seen how someone elses mistake can cause a potentially dangerous situation to arise. Double check everything!! Listen to the Manager's suggestions and learn. If your reaction has been anything less than what you discribed, I would worry about your heart & commitment to be a Nurse. But, I think your heart is in the right place, I think you will make a great Nurse.

[ruby_red]

HUGS!!! thank you both so much! your right, I should take this and learn from it, I'l try and not get my confidence down because of it, it should make me a better nurse.

Thanks again!!

[Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

Learn from your mistakes!! Double check everything and you won't make that mistake again.

Believe me, this won't be your last, no one is perfect, but learn from mistakes - yours and others!

[debi49]

Agree with others. Chalk this up to experience, when you meet with the manager, own up to it, dont defer blame, even tho alot of people share in this mistake. Let us know what happens;)

[ambil]

O.K. A little crying is good to let of the steam about being mad at yourself, but don't pout too long, ha. We ALL have made a mistake somewhere down the road. Look at the positive side because there really is one. Your mistake wasn't detrimental to the patients health. Your're lucky because this one mistake will leave a lasting impression on you. Never assume that someone else always knows whats going on. Trust yourself and only yourself in giving meds. When asked about the mistake simply admit that you made one. Don't try and put any of the responsibility onto someone else when you were the one responsible. Say what you learned from this mistake and how you will in the future avoid doing it again. How you handle your mistakes afterward is a strong indicator of your own character.

[azhiker96, BSN, RN]

Ruby, I think we all have made a med error at some time. And it's good that you felt terrible about it. That means you care about doing a good job for the patient. But don't beat yourself up and let this be a learning experience.

Remember, when you make an error, call the doc and let them know. Most of the time there will be no harm. Sometimes the doc may want additional tests or a different med given. My docs have usually laughed, surprised that a nurse would actually call them to admit a mistake.

My first mistake was with a little peanut, a 4 year old post-op with nausea/vomitting. I'm used to adults who get zofran 4mg, may repeat one time. I asked my preceptor to check the orders and see if I had zofran ordered for the kid. He said yes so I pulled and gave 4mg IV. Then I checked the order and saw the 4 crossed off and a 2 written in by the anesthesiologist,one time only. My heart about leaped out of my chest. The pt seemed better but I told my preceptor and then paged the doc. She called back and said the 4 mg would be alright and then asked how the pt was doing. Pt. was stable, doc was happy, and I still felt like the worst nurse in the world. However, you can bet I've always checked my own orders on every patient since then!

[MultipNP, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

Just as the others have said, relax some. It's okay because you are human -- and the pt. is fine! We all make mistakes -- it happens. In healthcare it is obviously more important to be careful, but again, we're all human! I'd be more worried about you as a nurse if you didn't take this to heart. It sounds like you care about your patients. It will be okay! Hugs...

[Melinurse]

i believe ruby vee started a thread on med errors that is worth looking at. we've all been there. don't beat yourself up over it. use this as a learning experience. hang in there. [[[ hugs ]]]

med errors: share your storiesby ruby vee