Med-error & down n the dumps

[Advocate1]

:oWell I made my first (and hopefully last) med error .

I gave wrong meds to the wrong patient. The meds were NOT high risk medications. To make a long story short although I asked the name I never looked at the ID band. Nothing bad happened, the pt was fine, I reported it immediately.

The bad part is the family- I understand their position b/c I was in their position once too, but when I asked to apologize to them they said they didnt want it. They are going to JAHCO and Dept of Public health and also threatened to go to the media. The hospital wrote off their bill

and is still having "meetings" with the family.

I felt horrible and havnt been sleeping well for over a month. I have gone to a PT Identificatio class, have been asked questions regarding the incident almost daily, and and really beginning to doubt myself.

I have a lot of support and my coworkers have been great, saying everyone makes mistakes- be glad nothing happened, and learn from it.

I have learned & believe me I check ID bands w every med pass. But now i have been given a "final warning". I have never been written up before. Actually, i have been an RN for

I asked my mgr if things would be different if this happened to a different family and she didn't give me a straight answer. Other RNs have made med errors and didnt recieve "final warnings" .

I spoke with the VP of nursing and she said she believes in me and knows I wont make a med error again but they had to write me up. She also said that if anything ever happened in the future that I wouldnt be immediatly fired b/c she would consider the situation.

So i am wondering what to think- am i being given a final warning b/c of the incident or to appease a very difficult family.

I know I am a good RN and I also know I still have much to learn and I have learned a bundle from this alone. I am just being so hard on myself now and I can't help from beating myself up over this day after day.

for those that have made errors how do you move on?

I know the post was long - I just needed to get it off my chest.

[Advocate1]

Where does one sign up for Liability Insurance and how much is it yearly?

THanks again to all of your support

[Mulan]

Ridiculous overreaction on the part of the family and the hospital over a med that did no harm.

Don't they have a policy though on how errors are handled? They all should be handled the same way, not based on how the family reacts.

I guess, like most of us, you don't have a union.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

Don't they have a policy though on how errors are handled? They all should be handled the same way, not based on how the family reacts.

Policy or not administration will handle it based on covering their bottoms and their perceived bottom line

[Mulan]

Policy or not administration will handle it based on covering their bottoms and their perceived bottom line

Well if it happened to me and they didn't follow their own policy, I'd be talking to a lawyer.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

Well if it happened to me and they didn't follow their own policy, I'd be talking to a lawyer.

The OP would need to know what the policy actually is and then decide from there what to do. Since they are standing behind her...I would just let it go. She did the right thing all the way around. She's just trying to get past making an error.

I know absolutely nothing about unions and glad that I don't.

[everthesame, LPN, LVN]

Well if it happened to me and they didn't follow their own policy, I'd be talking to a lawyer.

Talking to a lawyer about what? If no harm came to the patient then there really are no damages to be awarded. A complaint to the hospital is not unreasonable but a lawsuit for an event where the patient experienced no lasting ill effects is ludicrous.

[mahgirb_0516]

shrug that off.. i mean nobody's perfect.. but never ever do that again... we have to be very careful... if not your license might be at stake

[queenjean]

Talking to a lawyer about what? If no harm came to the patient then there really are no damages to be awarded. A complaint to the hospital is not unreasonable but a lawsuit for an event where the patient experienced no lasting ill effects is ludicrous.

I read it that Mulan is suggesting the NURSE, the OP contact a lawyer if she gets fired over it, as she states she followed the correct facility procedure for reporting med errors, and that she has received no other disciplinary actions against her ever. Particularly since the OP reports that other nurses have made similar mistakes and have not been threatened with the "Final warning" in their files. Mulan, and many others here, are suggesting that because the family made such a big stink about it, the facility is violating its own policies and procedures by hanging the OP out to dry.

[kcochrane]

And just another reminder of why we all should carry our own liability insurance. Considering how the hospital is treating you and others who posted and lost their jobs over something like this, you would not expect the hospital to back you if a family sued and their insurance would mean next to nothing for you.

ITA. Also, just hearing people on other sites after an error has happened makes you realize just how much they feel a nurse is responsible. We as nurses are expected to catch all the errors, including those by dr.s, pharmacy, other nurses, etc and in the midst of that, make sure we don't make mistakes.

Advocate1, I go through NSO, but there are others as well. Some people get it through their homeowners policy.

[Ms.RN]

i know i am a good rn and i also know i still have much to learn and i have learned a bundle from this alone. i am just being so hard on myself now and i can't help from beating myself up over this day after day.

yes, you are a good nurse and dont let anyone make you doubt that. dont be so hard on yourself. i dont know any other nurses who didnt make any mistake. maybe it might help if you resigned from your current position and start fresh? hugs to you. :icon_hug::icon_hug::icon_hug::icon_hug::icon_hug:

[burnoutward, BSN, RN]

*hugs* That is a crap situation esp since the family is being ridiculous. Yeah, the whole "it could be worse" card could be played, but it wasn't you took care of the problem and now are taking steps in the right direction to become a stronger nurse. There was not a sentinel event and now you will be twice as careful.

If you are still struggling through this go to EAP and talk to someone who might be able to give you some more support. Either way, know we are all supporting you, we have all made mistakes (some of us a few more than what we care to admit) and beat ourselves up over it, but eventually we must rise up and continue on with a new found constant vigilance. Good Luck :cheers:

[Batman24]

You made a mistake, learned a lesson, and action has been taken. My advice now would be to try and move on at the job and at home. Forgive yourself. No harm was done. What goes around comes around. Some day someone in that family will make a mistake and be treated the same way you were.