Mistakes at work.

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I also a new graduate started working in december of last year. I had a night shift, which was suprising going well got two admissions with 2 foleys in from the recovery room. Both patients were addmited in to the same room. I done all the admision orders myself and transcribed them in to the kardex. Bed2 there was an order not to remove foley. Bed4 order to remove the foley at 6am. Wrote it in my notes. At 6am removed them both did not even realized that for Bed2 the was an order stated not to remove it. I recognised that in the next 10 minutes when i was taping the report for the coming shift. I called the doctor who said those things should not be happing and i got a new order to put it back. I reinserted checked it more then few times if the pt was ok and if the foley was working ok. Everything is good. I spoke with the charge nurse regarding accident report told it was unnecessary to complete it because there was no harm. I feel horible and i can not understand how it happened. I was so sure i was doing the right thing. Within the next 30 minutes every nurse on my floor knew about the accident that i made and were talking behind my back and laughing. Which made me feel even more awful. I can not stop crying. I called the unit to ask if the pt was ok the nurse that took report from me stated that everything is fine and I should not worry. But i think only I can do such a stupid mistake. I took a day off. But i do not know if i can work at my unit because i feel humiliated. Can someone relate or give advise please.

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Specializes in ICU, Cardiac.

It's okay........you realized your error and addressed it. Let it go.

Were they really laughing at your mistake or were you just so frazzled by the error that you were hypersensitive to the laughter around you? If they were, I am sorry for their behavior. I am sure in their careers, they have made an error.

It's the recurring error's that are a problem, not this one. Poo happens...(pee too).

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

You took a day off because you made one mistake that didn't even hurt someone and people supposedly laughed about it? Oh, honey, you better get a thicker skin that than. You're gonna make more mistakes in the future because you are human. Sometimes stuff happens. Especially when you're sleep deprived. Now I could tell you to check and double check, but I'm sure you did. You just got it stuck in your brain to pull that foley and you did it. I'm glad you caught and I'm sorry the doctor was a butthead about it. But you can't take this so personally that it interferes with your work. It's just a foley. You didn't give someone the wrong chemo or pull the plug on their ventilator. Now THAT would be a mistake worth being upset about.

I'm really not trying to come down hard on you. Even experienced nurses sometimes mess up. I've been a nurse 32+ years and I still make mistakes occasionally. You wanna know my latest one? I gave a 6yo 1U insulin at 2pm when I should have withheld it. I looked at the orders first, thought I understood them and gave the insulin. As soon as I did it I felt uneasy. I'm a school nurse, so there was no one else to ask about it or check with so I took it home and worried about her all weekend. I was just sure she flaked out on the school bus and ended up in the ER. On monday I went in and met with a more experienced nurse about it and she noted that I should NOT have given the insulin. I was so upset! This little gal is only about 50-lbs and a brittle diabetic so 1U can make a big difference for her. THankfully, the other nurse informed me that her class eats snack every day at 2:15 so it actually didn't make much difference at all. But you can bet I'll never make that mistake again! :eek:

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Specializes in critical care, home health.

It will probably (I hope) make you feel better knowing a mistake I once did. The surgeon wrote an order (in horribly bad, indecipherable handwriting) to DC the pleural chest tubes. When I got report, I was told the mediastinal chest tube was supposed to come out and by reading the indecipherable order, it looked like it said to DC the mediastinal chest tube. So I DCd the mediastinal chest tube. I SHOULD HAVE known better.

The surgeon was absolutely livid. I had no excuse other than the fact that her handwriting was indecipherable. I should have called her to verify what she meant (although knowing this surgeon, she would have hung up on me anyway without answering the question) and I made a big mistake.

The patient was just fine, despite my error. These things happen. The best we can do is to learn from it. If you can't read the writing, call and call and call even if you know it means you will be written up and disciplined for bothering the doctor. Consult your supervisor.

Where I worked, at that time, calling the doctor about anything meant being shrieked at and written up. For example, I once called a thoracic surgeon about a post-op CABG pt with a K+ of 2.2. He had a freaking FIT because he had already DC'd the order to check the potassium, yet the nurse on the shift before me had drawn a potassium just before he DC'd the order to check the potassium. I had to listen to him scream at me for about ten minutes, telling me what a worthless piece of **** I was to blatantly disobey his order to DC the potassium checks, blah blah blah, and I got written up for daring to call him with a potassium of 2.2 because he'd DCd the order.

He ended our conversation by giving me an order to give potassium, but that went on my permanent record. But if I hadn't called with the potassium of 2.2 I would have lost my license. So you gotta do what you gotta do, in the best interest of the patient.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Clearly then, you are a new nurse, and during this incident no one was harm. However, I always stated that one can learn through one's mistakes. Furthermore, trust me when I say I can assure you that those nurse's which were laughing at your misfortune, have also committed several mistakes during their career. Moreover, you must get back on the saddle and walk in there proudly and don't let the little things bother you. Therefore, if any of your colleagues make a rude remark regarding your mistake just look at them and say "He who is free of any mistakes let them cast the first stone", and walk yourself out the room. Lastly, remember to take your time when your assessing your orders and triple check the pt.'s ID prior any procedure, I know you'll be fine :D

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Best thing I can say......DO NO HARM....and you did none. Some will laugh...by memory of what they have done...or what they have not done yet!

After 20 years of nursing..the thing I know best is that I never know what will come this day. I have to LOL at you, because we have all "been there...done that" Move on and welcome to our world!

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Specializes in Clinicals in Med-Surg., OB, CCU, ICU.

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the most severe. I would give this incident a 0.1. If the other nurses were laughing, they likely were thinking how embarrassing it would be, and not thinking you were a complete idiot:lol2:. Being new one will find themselves making silly mistakes, but as long as no one gets hurt.. all is well. Keep working away. I guarantee you will look back on this years from now, and find it humorous.

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I know it is so easy for us to tell you not to worry! You realized your mistake and you took care of it. If indeed your coworkers were laughing at you, They were wrong and should be ashamed of themselves. I am always skeptical when a nurse claims "I have never...(fill in the blank)..We are human, we make errors. The important things are to learn from this experience, figure out the why and then take a deep breath and move on with your head high. Sounds like you at least have an understanding manager. Good luck!

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You were humiliated- I guarantee you will never make that same mistake again!

Oh and you made it worse by taking a day off. Laugh with them and, if you can, laugh loudest- laugh at yourself.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

such a small mistake! learn from it and move on. you did the right thing in reporting it as soon as you realized your mistake and then working to fix it.

as far as the nurses who were laughing -- are you sure it was at you? they could have been laughing about sue's baby's cute new word or sam's dog eating his electric bill.

the only people who say they've never made a mistake are either lying or too stupid to realize they've made one!

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Specializes in criticalcare, nursing administration.

Re: Mistakes at work

The biggest reason for medical mistakes is related to SYSTEMS FAILURES, not staff failures. In this case, one thing that stands out is two new admissions into the same room, both with foleys. Possibly you need to take extra care for new admissions, as you are less familiar with them and their orders. The second systems issue I see here is fatigue; night shift, near the end of shift. If you are aware you're fatigued, maybe you needto double check any orders to d/c something prior to doing so.

As far as making errors, there is not a practicing nurse alive who has not made an error, and many of them do have adverse outcome. This INCLUDES all of those peers who were 'laughing about it'. They'll forget as soon as the next newsworthy event occurs.

The best protection you have at work is to know that there is risk, and to follow accepted procedure. Finally, to survive in healthcare you have to learn to forgive yourself and to learn from what errors do occur so that you won't repeat them.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

the only people who say they've never made a mistake are either lying or too stupid to realize they've made one!

absolutely!

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