mistake - unable to fix

[lovingRN2009]

to make long story short. had order to dc picc and culture tip. wbc up and picc insertion site leaking. dc'd picc forgot to clip for culture. no good reason other than busy day - a lot on mind. nothing i can do now and dreading work tomorrow. sure i will have to explain myself to don and ordering dr. upset. anyone with similiar experience?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Mistakes happen. If it makes you feel any better, our Infectious Doctors say it is no longer considered to be good practice to culture PICC or central line tips. They have a high chance of being contaminated on the way out by skin bacteria which results in many patient receiving antibiotics unnecessarily.

Plus with reimbursement now.........no payment for hospital or catheter infections...................You actually did them a favor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol2:

[amijen]

Everyone makes mistakes, and you've already did the most important thing. You took responsibility for the error, which shows your integrity as both a nurse and a person. I'm sure your DON will say "Don't let it happen again" or "I hope you learn from this", but if she is truly a leader she will commend you on your ethics.