Learn from mistakes

Nurses General Nursing

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There is an awesome thread going on in the "First Year in Nursing" board about mistakes made or little gems of info that new nurses (or any nurse) could learn from.

So I thought...since I am a new nurse, and need all the little gems of knowledge I can get :lol2:...I'd post the topic here also, where nurses with more experience may see it and share their wisdom.

So please, share your thoughts, mistakes and what you've learned from them, and gems of knowledge!!

Thanks!

-Lisa

You aren't going to know all the answers, and you should not be expected to know all the answers.

Know where to go to FIND the answers.

I think that is a pearl of wisdom.

Leslie

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Oh, that's a biggie. You need to follow orders the way they're written, be it a physician's order or the nursing care plan. If you disagree with it you can question it, but you can't just go do what you want.

tell me about it.

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Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

Take a look at what you're giving and see if it makes sense. If you find you are about to give 14 pills to makea dose , or four vials of an antibiotic-step back and triple check!

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Specializes in LTC , SDC and MDS certified (3.0).

My advice When someone gets unresponsive check Blood Sugar

Imagine my embarassment working LTC calling an ambulance and BS was 55. It NEVER happened again. I Learned from my mistake but I was a new nurse at the time. GOOD LUCK:idea:

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Specializes in Long Term Facilitly.

If something doesn't look right, it probably isn't. So keep looking and/or ask for a second pair of eyes from a fellow nurse.

Never assume because you already know what they say about assuming.

Always err on the side of the patient.

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Thanks so much!!

I am still on orientation and feel like there's no way I will ever be able to actually do everything the pair (my preceptor and I) of us do, on my own. Thanks for all the advice!

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.

This was a big one for me, remember to treat your patient and not your equipment. If your O2 sat, b/p or something else is reading outside parameters but your pt. is not in any distress, take a minute and look at the equipment and recheck the readings. I once called respiratory stat to my pt w/ a low O2 sat only to find out the O2 had pulled loose behind the bed. Also, even if your VS and other readings look really good, if your pt. suddenly changes, keep digging and checking things. I once had a pt tell me she couldn't breath good, O2 sat and VS were all good, lungs didn't sound any different, she didn't have any mentation changed so I put it down to anxiety and got her a breathing tx. Less than 30 min later she coded. May not have been anything I could have done but I wish I had pushed my resp. therapist harder to do some ABG's but the MD didn't order them when I called so they didn't get done.

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

I just came off preceptorship, the big theme of which was :

Don't. Assume. ANYTHING.

Particularly in regard to IVs, IV pumps, meds being given, etc. Doubly true when an admission comes at shift change.

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

Always check the drugs you are pulling from the pyxis. Yesterday while at work I went to get Vasotec from the pyxis at the time the MAR said the med was due, and it was grayed out, meaning there weren't any in stock. I sent a note down to pharm to refill the pocket.

Later on when I went to get the same pt her pain med, I noticed that her Vasotec was no longer grayed out. Great, I thought! Now I can give it to her!

Alas, no. The pocket had been filled with Lexapro. Not a vasotec in sight.

I notified my charge RN, called the pharmacy, put a note in the pocket so another nurse wouldn't just pull the drug without checking the label, and then filled out a med error form (not on me, but rather on the pyxis/pharmacy error) online.

It's easy to get in the habit of just pulling meds out. Remember it's humans who fill those pockets, just like us. They make mistakes too.

Luckily I caught the problem before even pulling the med out of the pyxis so it didn't result in any pt. harm.

:)

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like i said on my thread i admit my mistake. ???? here what about people that are being hired to work in a group home off of the street,with no experience what so ever and there are group homes that are not giving any training whats so ever if someone was to make a mistake with meds they make a mistake their sent home and put on the registry for abuse neglect?

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Background: I have been a nurse for slightly over a year. I am on a float team and sometimes have to switch floors during my shift. For that reason, sometimes the first few hours of my night shift are busy, since I may get moved. Three days ago, I made a series of mistakes. I'm not going to go on about the details, because I know many reading it would think "what the heck is wrong with her?!" I know that if I read it, I would think the same thing.

I was on one very busy floor and had to be moved to the ICU (also very busy). It was my third 12-hour night shift in a row. My mistakes involved not going with my nursing judgment, sterile technique, and rushing through a procedure. So far, think the patient is okay (my first concern), but I am so embarrassed because a CNA and newer nurse were in the room to witness the debacle. I haven't been able to sleep, eat, concentrate, or anything for the past 3 days. I am worried about the patient, my job, my license, my reputation, etc. I feel horrible.

So, moral of the story: 1.) NEVER GO AGAINST YOUR NURSING JUDGMENT. 2.) If you have a question, ask or look up the protocol. Have someone help you. 3.) Don't rush. I should have passed on the task to the next nurse and got my butt to the ICU, but I hate passing off work (because I hate it when someone does it to me). Wouldn't you know that I got to the ICU and got 2 patients who were recent admissions with NO paperwork done. Talk about passing off work. 4.) Don't try to have superhuman powers. We are all human and make mistakes.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, ICU/CCU, GE Lab.
Background: I have been a nurse for slightly over a year. I am on a float team and sometimes have to switch floors during my shift. For that reason, sometimes the first few hours of my night shift are busy, since I may get moved. Three days ago, I made a series of mistakes. I'm not going to go on about the details, because I know many reading it would think "what the heck is wrong with her?!" I know that if I read it, I would think the same thing.

I was on one very busy floor and had to be moved to the ICU (also very busy). It was my third 12-hour night shift in a row. My mistakes involved not going with my nursing judgment, sterile technique, and rushing through a procedure. So far, think the patient is okay (my first concern), but I am so embarrassed because a CNA and newer nurse were in the room to witness the debacle. I haven't been able to sleep, eat, concentrate, or anything for the past 3 days. I am worried about the patient, my job, my license, my reputation, etc. I feel horrible.

So, moral of the story: 1.) NEVER GO AGAINST YOUR NURSING JUDGMENT. 2.) If you have a question, ask or look up the protocol. Have someone help you. 3.) Don't rush. I should have passed on the task to the next nurse and got my butt to the ICU, but I hate passing off work (because I hate it when someone does it to me). Wouldn't you know that I got to the ICU and got 2 patients who were recent admissions with NO paperwork done. Talk about passing off work. 4.) Don't try to have superhuman powers. We are all human and make mistakes.

I know I'm bringing up an old thread but I think it's wrong that they pull you to a different unit DURING your shift. That's asking for trouble. I worked float pool and floated but stayed on the same unit for the entire shift. Maybe you can bring it up to your supervisor, if possible.

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