Published Dec 1, 2007
Virgo_RN, BSN, RN
3,543 Posts
So I spent the first half of my shift putting out fires, as usual. I got to go home at half shift, though, but I had a lot of loose ends to tie up before I could leave, and my charge wanted me off the floor at a specific time. I thought I had managed to get everything cleaned up for the person who was taking over my patients, but I just remembered something I forgot to deal with and forgot to mention before I left. Blood had backed up into a patient's saline lock, and I forgot to flush it, so it probably clotted off and she'll need a new site.:angryfire I'm just so irritated with myself for forgetting this.
Oh well, I am back tomorrow. I can face the music then and see if anything came of it, like an incident report.
I just feel like such a numbskull.
NJNursing, ASN, RN
597 Posts
It happens. We can only juggle 378,347,191,383,114 balls at once. :selfbonk:
I know i don't like when the previous shift stick me with bum IV's, but it happens and I'm sure there's times it's happened when people followed me too. Don't beat yourself up to much over it.
TexasPediRN
898 Posts
We can only juggle 378,347,191,383,114 balls at once. :selfbonk:
Are you sure thats it??
I swear it was more...
NJ Nursing is right. Dont beat yourself up over it. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes yes, things go bad at change of shift and you leave work for the oncoming shift to do. ..
Remember, nursing is a 24/7 job - someone else can always finish what wasnt.
Dinith88
720 Posts
So I spent the first half of my shift putting out fires, as usual. I got to go home at half shift, though, but I had a lot of loose ends to tie up before I could leave, and my charge wanted me off the floor at a specific time. I thought I had managed to get everything cleaned up for the person who was taking over my patients, but I just remembered something I forgot to deal with and forgot to mention before I left. Blood had backed up into a patient's saline lock, and I forgot to flush it, so it probably clotted off and she'll need a new site.:angryfire I'm just so irritated with myself for forgetting this.Oh well, I am back tomorrow. I can face the music then and see if anything came of it, like an incident report.I just feel like such a numbskull.
An incident-report filed because of a clotted heplock? Thats just harsh. And silly. And dumb.
NursingAgainstdaOdds
450 Posts
What Dinith88 said.
Seriously, this wouldn't even register on my radar. Quit worrying so much. :)
barefootlady, ADN, RN
2,174 Posts
Wow. If your nurses have time to file incident reports over such a small issue as this, then they are not so busy as the rest of us. Now a central line or some other access site that is more invasive than a lock I can see, but this is just nit picking.
Dolce, RN
861 Posts
I would never file an incident report about that. Furthermore I have seen IVs stay good without being flushed for 24 hours.
Well, okay. Maybe it's not all as bad as it seemed at one am in the dark, all alone with my thoughts....of course, I started remembering all kinds of things I forgot, and I feel like the worst nurse ever. All I can do is show up today, ready to hit the floor running, and keep all my mistakes in the back of my mind so I can make sure not to repeat them. If anyone brings up anything I did or did not do, I will do the ethical thing and take responsibility like an adult. However, if nothing comes up, I'll just learn and move on. Sound like a good strategy?
Faeriewand, ASN, RN
1,800 Posts
Sure does. Let us know how it goes. :)
irishnurse67
83 Posts
You sound pretty caring and competent to me!
JONlvn-np2b
35 Posts
lol i stay awake sometimes thinking about the things i did or didnt do. lol at first i thought i was the only one that does that. but i like your strategy, im gonna try that from now on too.
Well, I was a bit nervous about what other things I might have forgotten that might come around to bite me in the behind, but everything was okay. I even had a great night. My patients were stable, easy, and I had time to actually learn instead of plugging away at task after task.