mea culpa

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2005

So who's job was it to order the C/D up in the first place and why hadn't the day staff obtained the C/D because it would have been very hard for night staff to obtain the C/D.

Unfortunatly it is an error but there were two trained staff checking and signing the drugs so all will be accountable.

There are several things you have to do, firstly you need to contact your union rep if it is the RCN then they have a 24hr help line, secondly you need to obtained the protocol for drug administration for your trust, and you need to obtain the codes of practice.

The RCN are the best people to advice you. Do not go to a meeting without first establishing your rights.

It is nothing to do with the doctors, your line manager will decied with the help of HR and her line manager how it will progress forward and the min that a incident form was completed then the hospital risk manager will become involved and will want t know what action needs to be taken.

Is this your first mistake?

My advice is speak to union asap

fergus51 · Jun 1, 2005

Whisper, don't be so hard on yourself. You are hardly the first nurse to make an error. Any nurse who has been practising for a while and says they've never made a mistake is either a liar or blissfully unaware. The fact that you feel so bad is evidence of how much you care about your patients. You've obviously learned from this one and will probably be more careful than any nurse out there in the future. Try not to let one mistake make you give up on nursing. We need nurses like you.

karenG · Jun 1, 2005

I agree with fergus......

you are not the first and you wont be the last to do this. The patient is fine, nothing awful happened. You will never make another drug error.

(((((((whisper))))))

Karen

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2005

Hey I aggree with karen and fergus but I think you should cover all bases and be ready.

It may all come to nothing but it can do no halm if you are aware of the protocols and your rights, I met some real ***ards in my time and I always do my homework.

I do not think you should be hard on your self, we have all made mistakes as we are human. You should carry on being a nurse, I know of a nurse who on a daily basis makes huges errors but never questions her ability to be a nurse!

fergus51 · Jun 2, 2005

I definitely agree with you on seeking info from the union rep Kay.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jun 2, 2005

((((((((((((whisper))))))))))

good to see you back, was wondering how things was going for you ((((((hugs)))))

I agree with everything thats been said, you need support with this. Mistakes happen cos we are human and we do error. meet this as a learning curve and I promise you will learn from this. You are not alone on this remember that 2 of you signed this so all are accountable not just you, so if the others aren't getting written up about this I would really question why and get the union involved

Whisper · Jun 2, 2005

Well after a full nights sleep, the situation doesn't seem quite as bad, Now it is just 'end of the world bad' instead of 'rot in hell forever bad'

I just wanted to take this post to say thankyou all for responding, I haven't been on this site, or the internet as a whole for just over nine months

But a lot has happened I qualified, and started work, and I don't I was any where near prepared, I still feel like my head is whirling from being in at the deep end- and that uni did not prepare me for this.

and as to whether this is my first mistake, no

I am begining to think that I made that nearly four years ago... But I do love my job, I am just scared now to go back to work, I have two doubles this weekend (this week is my 45 hour week) before I have to speak to the sister and I don't want to go in.

Patients should only have to worry about getting better, and maybe the state of the food but not worry about whether the nurses are going to hurt them.

I just wanted to say thankyou, thankyou for the advice and having the compassion to respond to this thread when I have been absent for so long

karenG · Jun 2, 2005

you did not make a mistake... you are an excellent nurse.

the problem lies in the way the training is run. when I trained- back in the dark ages- we were left in charge of wards from the second year. we worked our tails off but we went through all the angst you are now going through- except we did it at 18/12 into training. as students we knew that 18/12 was the crucial time.. if you survived that, you would survive to the end. We knew exactly what it was like and what we were letting ourselves in for. ok, there was a high drop out at 18/12 but because we were in training we saw each other through the bad moments ( I had rather a lot of sick time then!) Now.. you hit it about 6mth to a year after qualifying... and there is no support network of students to keep you going.

so talk to us... we know what you're going through. been there done that........... maybe one day I'll tell about how I was utterly convinced I'd killed a patient........turns out I hadnt but I was too junior to understand and had a bad few months.... long story! moral.. dont start your training on an oncology ward!

take care

Karen

Whisper · Jun 2, 2005

You are right I definately was not prepared for being in charge of a ward, My first set of nights were terrible, I was okay until the other RN went for her break, and it hit me, I was in charge and responsible for 32 patients on an acute ward with some TLC patients.

I must have walked around the beds over a hundred times, just to keep checking! If some one lost a telemetry lead, I shot out of my seat as if they had lost their heart rate!

Still, if anyone has any spare change since their AoC pay rise, (lol) buy shares in a chocolate company, the amount I am going to eat before Tuesday will certainly raise their profts.... I need a cheaper and healthier coping mechanism!

uk_nurse · Jun 2, 2005

I say we, not because I am trying to shift the balme, but beacuse it was duitifully double checked and signed out in the CD book, on the first night by me and the SRN, and last night by me and an EN...

just a quick point u said checked by a SRN and an EN....are they still inforce? sorry for my ignorance but shouldnt they be RN'S, especially the EN, didnt think they existed anymore. Can they check CD's?

Anyway from what i have read from the posts you have done in the past you are a good nurse and i agree with everything people said. Dont give up nursing, we are only human, errors are made. take care now x x

karenG · Jun 2, 2005

I
Still, if anyone has any spare change since their AoC pay rise, (lol) buy shares in a chocolate company, the amount I am going to eat before Tuesday will certainly raise their profts.... I need a cheaper and healthier coping mechanism!

what AfC pay rise............... never happened out here in general practice!!!

alcohol used to be our coping mechanism.......... not chocolate!! our version of clinical support/supervision was to go down the pub... sink a few beers and compare notes on the day... and sympathise with each other over the awful things we had done!!! a friend of mine did much the same as you... she went and sat outside matrons room to confess her sins.. was listened to and sent back to work.. told she'd never make that error again. she had managed to give completely the wrong drugs to a patient.

karen