Made mistakes

[Sith_Nurse]

Hey everyone. So I had a tough shift recently. I missed an order to discontinue a PCA, missed that an epidural was still running, didn't pull two foley catheters and delayed starting a tube feeding because I had no clue what to do and couldn't find anyone to ask. I admitted the foleys to the nurses I gave report to, and they acted like it was no biggie. I also admitted my failure about the tube feeding. When I found out about missing the PCA, I owned up to that as well. Well, I get a text today from a friend that an email was sent to my manager about my mistakes by a nurse I was on shift with and that the nurse I gave report to went around griping about me and encouraging the email. I'm a new grad, and have been off orientation for about 6 weeks. I feel like such a crappy nurse and a failure. I sent an email to my manager requesting to meet with her to go over my mistakes and to learn from them. I've lost trust in the two coworkers for not talking about this with me and running straight to the manager. What else can I do? I know at the end of the day we all make mistakes, no one was seriously injured, I owned up to my mistakes and am trying to fix my shortcomings. Trying to stop beating myself up over this but it's hard.

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

You have received really good advice here namely to take responsibility for your actuons then make a correctI've plan and put it into action.You must find a way to catch all new orders.What is your process now? Are you checking at least every 2 hours for updates? I know that it's difficult to do while you are running around trying to get current orders completed but you are functioning in an extremely dynamic environment and you must stay informed.You also without fail must check every order written on all your patients.I always without fail scanned every order at the end of my shift as well.If I missed anything I often could make quick correct tions.Nursing can be cutthroat as you found out so it's best to develop systems that work for you withinthe system you are working.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

I'm a Star Wars fan... and old enough to have seen A New Hope during the original theater release while in high school. I've started more new jobs than most people... eleven of them in all, mostly doing very different things. I've made far more mistakes than most people, I think, because I've been the newbie so many times. Being new at anything is fraught with risks of mistakes. Treat each as an opportunity grow and become a better nurse.

Time to learn, you must have, young Padawan.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

We have bedside report at my facility, too, but our daytime supervisor is WAY too anal about it, IMO. There are some things you just don't want to say in front of the patient/family.

I have no problem going in and doing a bedside hand-off, introducing the patient to the new nurse, doing line traces (IV, oxygen, tube feeding, catheter, etc.), and giving a generic "Suzie was admitted on with and she's having done on " type of report.

But when talking about the fact that you suspect the patient's boyfriend went into the bathroom and did drugs the night before, I'm more comfortable having that discussion away from the bedside. Ditto for things like talking in front of a dementia patient about things that will only upset/confuse them. Or waking up a patient at 0700 who maybe didn't even fall asleep until after 0400.

In those situations, I see nothing wrong with giving report out in the hall at a computer.

[tcvnurse, BSN, RN]

How do you not know how to hang a tube feeding after 6 weeks off orientation?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

How do you not know how to hang a tube feeding after 6 weeks off orientation?

Not every type of unit does that frequently. I can count on one hand the number of patients I had on tube feeding in 8 years of bedside nursing.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

How do you not know how to hang a tube feeding after 6 weeks off orientation?

Not every unit uses tube feedings often. I'd be more concerned with the orders to D/C Foleys that didn't get done because the OP didn't follow up about her concerns about pulling the Foley. You can't just not do orders you question. You follow up, figure it out and take care of it.